As an increasing number of employers ramp up hiring in the coming months, it’s worth revisiting numerous hiring practices to ensure that companies are reaching and engaging with candidates effectively. Here are some tactics to optimize talent acquisition in an environment that remains uncertain.
Make remote work front-and-center in job titles and descriptions.
A rising number of companies are now considering various remote options. This means that hiring teams must distinguish job descriptions as “permanently remote” versus “temporarily remote,” as well as detail work-from-home requirements. It’s therefore important to include such information in job ads to set the right expectations with candidates. In other words, adding “remote” in a job ad is helpful, but you should also explain if this is just a temporary situation.
Tag high-volume roles as “urgent.”
Websites like Indeed and LinkedIn now offer “tag” features on job titles and descriptions that communicate a company’s urgent need for certain roles. This can help make job postings stick out. It can also convey to job-seekers that they can expect a quick interviewing and onboarding process.
Simplify the application process.
Improve conversion rates with a simple, mobile-optimized application process. Job-seekers need easy ways to pull their professional data into applications without having to recreate the wheel every time. Recruiting teams need to make sure they have a partnership with an ATS that has access to popular job boards to make this process easy and quick. It may also be appropriate to adopt an “Easy Apply” through LinkedIn option so candidates can simply submit their LinkedIn profile to the recruiting team.
Encourage social-media referrals.
Finding more cost-effective ways to attract, engage, and connect with job candidates is not only important. It’s imperative — particularly given ongoing budget constraints in a tough economy.
In a remote world, one way to do this is through social media, especially because 42% of people find out about job openings on social media, according to our Job Seeker Nation survey. Through social referrals, employees can easily help recruit talent in their extended networks. It’s also an easier, faster, and cheaper way to source candidates. Hiring teams and employees both win when it is easy for employees to share their positive work experiences via social sourcing and referral tools, which your ATS may already have.
Focus on employer branding.
If your company has a hiring freeze, you may shift focus toward effective employer branding on social media by:
- Creating existing employee spotlights to showcase varied personalities and professional opportunities within your organization
- Sharing evergreen educational tips and trending articles about the industry targeted at job-seekers
- Posting photos of employee engagement activities, challenges, and affinity groups, or sharing “throwbacks” of previous staff outings
- Having teams participate in a fun TikTok dance challenge and splicing the clips together
- Showcasing your brand’s mission, values, and achievements through branded graphics and infographics
Do not overlook remote onboarding.
Job-seekers expect great communication from a prospective employer, regardless of what’s going on in the world. In fact, 54% say it’s the most important factor in a great candidate experience. And of course, the need for effective communication doesn’t end with an accepted offer — a strong onboarding program sets the stage for long-term employee success.
It’s vital to create connections between new employees and their teams during onboarding to transition from a great candidate experience to positive employee engagement. It’s therefore important to use technology like video conferencing and internal messaging platforms to enable teams to meet and chat in real-time, even when they don’t share the same physical space.
Hiring and retaining talent remotely can be challenging, but by employing the timely tips mentioned above, you can create a stand-out, end-to-end hiring process that will enable you to source and hire top talent faster and smarter.