So your business is experiencing some rapid growth, and it’s time to find new members to join your team. But, what’s the best and most time-effective way to get the right candidate for your job opening? In 2020, there are many changes happening in the world of recruitment. Advances in HR technologies have solved some of the recruiting challenges that arose with traditional hiring. Now, many businesses are implementing these new solutions to improve their hiring strategies and find the best candidates easier and faster. 

A strong recruitment plan should be put in place and It needs to be more than just numbers. Vacancies and recruiting budgets only form the basis of its strategy, but employing good hiring practices can elevate them. Here are some key points that will help you find the best candidates for your job opening.

Be specific by identifying your hiring needs

The first step in any recruitment process is to figure out what exactly you’re hiring for.  Maybe you’re filling a brand new position and you're looking for new employees to bring value to the area. Or you may be hiring someone for a position that’s already a part of your business. Either way, it’s important to analyze what you’re looking for in a new employee.

Your recruitment process should start with identifying the vacancies that exist within your business, followed by analyzing the job specifications. This includes knowing which skills and experience are required for the role. You can also look at your current team and check if there are new needs after rising. Regularly analyzing your company's performance and making a list of missing qualities, qualifications and skills will help you understand your hiring needs.

Once you recognize that there is indeed a hiring need in your business, act before it becomes a pressing matter. 

Give a detailed job description

Once you’ve got a clear understanding of what kind of hire you need and which specifications you’re looking for, it's time to write your job description. This is the chance to have your company stand out in a sea of job offerings from well-known companies. It’s important not to fill the description with formal jargon, but instead, have it easy to read and full of relevant information. While you can craft this yourself, utilizing an experienced recruiter can help you get the language down without the stress.

There are many different formats you can follow when writing your description but some of the key elements to help you find the perfect candidates are:

• Headline: This is typically the job title and occasionally the name of the company hiring.
• Company Information: What is the company and what does it stand for? It’s important to add your company culture here. For example, are you a group of hard-working individuals hitting personal goals or a relaxed crew who finishes at 5 pm to get home to their families?
• Job information: Here you should focus on what you expect the candidate to bring to the team. Outline the general duties and responsibilities associated with the job. You can also add how many working hours are expected and how much you are willing to pay the potential candidate. This can be between two figures (based on the candidate’s experience and qualifications).
• Qualifications and Hiring Criteria: Specify the level of education, experience, and relevant attributes and skills that are required to do the job. This will usually help those who are unsure whether their experience is enough or relevant before they even apply.
• Response Method: Let applicants know how to apply for the position here. Whether it’s through a forum or an email address, having this clear and outlined will help you connect with all possible candidates. You can add a basic outline of the interview process here if there are multiple steps. For example, the applicants may need to do a phone interview as their first stage so candidates will know to have an up-to-date telephone number on their resumes.

This outline will keep your job descriptions to the point but also giving the candidate a good reflection on who you are as a company and what is expected of them.

Sourcing Talented Candidates Internally

A great job description may help a company find talented candidates, but there are numerous other approaches to source that perfect candidate. Looking internally within your business could be a great and time-effective method of hiring. Some of these benefits are as follows.

1. Shows the Company values their employees
2. Building and sustaining institutional knowledge
3. Cost is cheaper
4. Increases brand awareness

Promote and Train a Current Employee

Employees who are promoted from within are also more likely to have a team leader or manager in the upper levels of management. They may already understand what is needed for the role. Of course, hiring externally is important, too as these employees give a fresh approach and bring new skills. But if you already have great employees in your company, your perfect candidate could be already working for you. 

Employee Referral Programs

You may have loyal employees that understand your business but may not want to progress into a new position. This doesn’t mean that your current employees can’t be useful in finding your perfect, new candidate. 

Putting a referral program in place for your employees allows them to be rewarded in exchange for sourcing potential candidates. It also strengthens the bond with existing employees and boosts the employee’s morale. It may take time to create the perfect referral program, but if done correctly, it can work very effectively. 

External Recruitment Sources

Based on your businesses’ recruiting budget and time limits, hiring externally could be a better approach to find that perfect candidate. The price varies based on a range of factors, like market conditions, the type of targeted candidates, and diversity-related issues. Yet, employers can rely on various types of agencies and organizations to contribute to and support recruitment activities. 

Recruitment Agencies

Whether you’re looking for a manager, developer or technical position to be filled, recruitment agencies could have a list of prospective employees ready to start working for your business. A good recruiter should understand what your business is looking for and will go through hundreds of resumes to narrow down the search to qualified employees. This process highers the cost of using this method so small businesses may use this approach sparingly. 

Recruitment agencies work with clients who are looking for a new career and with professionals looking for new talent. This builds relationships on both sides and can understand the needs and wants of both the employees and the recruiters. Here are a few other perks of using a recruitment agency:

1. They assess each requirement that is given to them
2. Recruiters often build the employer’s summary
3. They manage compliance through to workforce planning
4. Thorough pre-employment screenings are done
5. Certificates in certain fields can be updated upon request at many recruiting agencies

There are many ways that agencies differ and separate themselves from one another. What matters, is identifying the attributes that are most compatible with your company and hiring goals. So, understanding your hiring needs is essential here before finding the perfect recruiter.

Sourcing Quality Candidates Online

Online recruiting is a great way to find quality candidates at different levels. Companies and recruiters can find candidates straight out of university willing to work at an entry-level position, or can find highly skilled professionals willing to do a one-time project. There are many candidates you can find online, but where to start?

LinkedIn: LinkedIn has become an effective external recruiting tool and is generally best used for professional-level candidates. The networking site allows members to build profiles and make professional relationships with other users. This allows employers to advertise jobs and search for prospective candidates. In turn, job seekers can also search and view the profiles of hiring companies and individuals.

According to Statista, 154 million American workers have LinkedIn profiles, and over 50 percent of Americans with a college degree use LinkedIn. So, there’s a lot of candidates to choose from but it’s important to remember, your brand identity must be strong with a market this large. Invest time in your profile to have it as a strong reflection of your business. 

Career Sites: Businesses can advertise positions and connect with candidates through a number of career sites. It operates by converting web traffic into potential candidates. Effective recruiting sites are user-friendly, detailed, and engaging so candidates of all ages can find your job listings.

There are typically small fees associated with posting a job on career sites. Many companies boost their job posting with a pay-per-click campaign. Pricing for this is between $0.10 and $5.00 per click.  

Again, understanding your hiring needs and using your job description strategies will help organically boost your post with SEO (search engine optimization) on career sites.

Social Media Platforms: Having a social media presence can connect you with potential candidates by allowing them to search and interact with you online. According to Deloitte, 75% of the global workforce will be made up of millennials by 2025, and Millenials love being online. 

Many businesses don’t typically look for potential candidates on Instagram or Facebook but they could share a link of a job offering on their business page. This gives a nice informal feel and is an inexpensive form of advertising.

Finding top talent in your field may not seem like an easy task, but identifying your hiring needs and establishing a strong recruitment plan will help you in the process. Before you know it, you’ll have all the best candidates applying for your positions.