Sourcing candidates in recruitment is tougher than ever, which is why an effective talent sourcing process is vital for your business to expand.
When the history books are written, these post-pandemic years will be recorded as a uniquely challenging time for employers. Industry disruptors like long COVID and mass home working have transformed the workplace, while record levels of employment in the UK have contributed to chronic candidate shortages and a perceived lack of talented applicants.
Despite widespread challenges, it is still possible to find high-calibre individuals in today’s fast-moving jobs market. In this article, we consider 10 tips for sourcing candidates, with practical advice on how to optimise the talent sourcing process. Perhaps surprisingly, it all starts with knowing your own company.
1. define your corporate identity
Staff are attracted to companies with a clear and authentic identity. Jobseeking can be a dull experience, so your employer brand should look to inform and where possible entertain. Here at hireful we document key events on our life at hireful social media pages which help pull the curtain back on what we are getting up to and is therefore great content for prospective employees.
Mission statements and a clear sense of identity across your organisation will attract applicants who buy into this ideology, especially if there’s a focus on environmental matters.
2. don’t appoint the best of a bad bunch
With millions of people changing career or looking to reduce their hours post-pandemic, it’s becoming normal to find talent pools are shallow. It’s better to leave a vacancy unfilled than appoint the wrong candidate simply because nobody better has applied. You might need to rethink, readvertise, or cast your net wider – hireful can help with effective candidate attraction.
3. establish flexible working arrangements
Building on the first two points, your corporate identity should extend to supporting staff who, in turn, will feel more loyal and committed. Offer flexible hours and remote working to attract candidates with childcare and/or caring commitments. Private healthcare is a huge perk at this time of crisis in the NHS, additionally helping to restore staff to full health more swiftly.
4. offer generous remuneration packages
Nye Bevan once admitted that large sums of money were needed to attract GPs to the NHS. Sadly, this sentiment is relevant in many modern industries, due to high inflation and falling living standards. Pay more than rival firms, in tandem with incentives like generous annual leave, performance-related bonuses, and high-end laptops/smartphones for home working.
5. source via social media
Don’t just use social media to investigate prospective candidates – use it to find them in the first place. Love it or loathe it, social media is a unique repository of information, and there will be many people on LinkedIn alone who might not be looking for a new role, yet may be tempted by the right opportunity. Network, engage, and interact; above all, remain visible.
6. refine your interview technique
Remember all that advice about body language and making a strong first impression? Well, candidates are judging you on the same criteria. Turning up late with egg on your shirt won’t encourage potential recruits to accept a job offer. Use the same well-rehearsed interview framework to avoid unconscious bias, asking open-ended questions in an informal manner might just work.
7. optimise onboarding
It’s not uncommon for new recruits to leave a company soon after joining, with HR problems or counter-offers from their previous employers among the reasons. This can be negated with a polished and comprehensive onboarding programme. We discuss this in depth here – key tips include appointing a mentor and providing plenty of role-related guidance.
8. offer referral schemes to existing employees
Sourcing candidates in recruitment channels can be challenging, so why not encourage your staff to help with the talent sourcing process? A referral scheme with incentives is cheaper than recruiting a new employee from scratch. Those referred should have a positive view of your firm already, and will usually be recommended for specific attributes and skillsets.
9. look within
As we recently explained, the best talent may be right under your nose. Existing staff know what’s required and how to succeed. Promotions are a great way to fill vacancies, maintaining productivity in more senior roles with staff (or temps) who know the ropes. Internships are another way to secure talent that’s already on your firm’s radar.
10. communicate effectively
Many employees leave a company because of a perceived lack of transparency, or an absence of top-down communication. It’s crucial for managers to be visible and honest, especially as remote working weakens the bonds between teams. A track record of regular two-way communications will impress potential candidates and support employees.
find talent the easy way
Another quick and effective way to find talent in your industry is by devolving much of the work to advanced technology platforms like hireful. As well as a candidate management system, our software assists with everything from creating customised internal jobs pages through to obtaining free job postings. Advice on this – and much more besides – can be found in the hireful webinar directory.
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