Let’s face it. In the modern workforce, there’s pressure to be constantly on your toes, and do your best work every single day. In the race to the bottom of the barrel, employees are being contracted out at an alarming rate. Even those who are happily working for a company as a side gig are being asked to up their game — meaning they’re looking for more flexible schedules and less night or weekend work. If you’re struggling with how to bring in new talent and retain your current staff, read on… If you’ve been running a business for any length of time, you know that recruiting is hard enough as it is. Owing to the competitive nature of the job market, and increasing levels of recruitment automation found in many offices, it can get even trickier for recruiters trying to find top talent. So how do you attract top professionals without putting your business on ice? Let’s take a look at some ways you can do just that!
Hiring is Hard, Especially When You Don’t Have Any Experience Yourself
Well, you can’t exactly point to the number of resumes you’ve received over the years and say, “There’s your perfect candidate!” Unless, of course, you’re the one who’s hiring. But, if you’re not actively looking for your next employee (and you haven’t been actively hiring for a while), you may not know how to start hunting. And this can be a problem, not just in terms of attracting talent, but also managing expectations from your employees and building trust with your team. If you don’t know where to start when it comes to hiring, here are a few tips. First, if you haven’t hired anyone in a while, it’s important to remember that the process is typically more relaxed, and more personable, when you’re actively recruiting. This means that when someone calls you, you want to make an effort to put them at ease, especially if you don’t know them well. Here are a few tips for making the hiring process a little less uncomfortable: Keep an eye out for signs that someone is feeling nervous. If they’re often checking their phone or fidgeting with their hands, it might be a good sign to ask if they’re all right. If they say yes, but then act stressed or start to fidget more, it might be a sign to back off for a bit and let them relax. If you have to pick someone up somewhere, even if they live nearby, make an effort to call them to let them know you’ll be there for a while. This gives them some time to get comfortable and avoid rushing things. If possible, try to keep communication open with your current team members — even if you’re dealing with an emergency — so that you can let them know if you’re struggling to fill a position, or have any questions they can help with.
Match your employees to their interests
For many employees, the root of their frustration with the job market lies within the fact that they’re not offered the kind of opportunities they’d otherwise be excited to take. If you want to attract top talent, you need to create an environment that makes it easy for potential employees to find the jobs they want to fill. Here are a couple of ideas for creating an attractive job market for your employees: Offer flexible work schedules — some people are naturally more interested in weekends or evenings than others, for example. And if you work full time, try to keep your hours open to a few hours on weekdays so that you don’t accidentally shut out your most helpful employees. Use platforms like Glassdoor to let your employees see what other employees are doing. Look for trends and patterns, and see what kinds of opportunities might be right for your company.
Make an in-depth search
Asking your employees what they’re interested in is a great way to start building your hiring pool, but it doesn’t tell you much about them as people. If you really want to find a great employee, you need to get down to the nitty-gritty, and find out what they care about. You can search through Google or your organization’s website to see what interests your employees, but you can also do it more deeply. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind: Is there an app you use regularly that your employees would enjoy using? If so, try to adapt the app so that it works even better for your employees. What are your employees reading, watching, or playing? If you’re finding that your best talent is sitting in front of their computers, try to divert them into other activities.
Create a showcase of your talent
Even if you don’t plan to use your employee recommendations for hiring, it’s a good idea to let them show off what they’ve got. After all, if you’re actively looking for new talent, they may have just the right connections to help you find the right person. Here are a couple of ideas to get you started: Create a showcase on social media that showcases your talent. This can be a blog, an image, a video, or any other form of content you think your employees would enjoy seeing. Be sure to tag your employer so they can show up in the search results! Host a “talent party” for your best employees using the tools you’ve built for finding new talent. This can be a cocktail event or a casual meeting in your office. Take inspiration from the Savvy HR team’s favorite workplace hangout: comedy clubs.
Be transparent about requirements
One of the best ways to bring in new talent, and retain your current staff, is to be transparent about what you’re looking for in a potential employee. Here are a couple of ways to do that: Set clear expectations. Are you asking for the best possible person for the job, or are you just looking for someone to fill a need? Be clear about what you’re looking for in terms of skills, experience, and requirements so that someone coming to you with an open mind can evaluate whether they have what it takes. Don’t be afraid to document your requirements. Even if you think you have a damn good idea of what you want, it’s better to be transparent about what you don’t know, so someone can too. Keep a record of your interviews so you can go back to look for answers if something is unclear.
Offer flexible work arrangements
If your company offers benefits, or you have a flexible scheduling policy, that’s even better! These can be a big help in bringing in the best talent, and retaining your existing team. But, they don’t hurt to have in your back pocket, just in case. Here are a couple of examples: On-site interviews. These are best when you’re located in the same city as the hiring manager. You can either set up the meeting in their office, or use the on-site interview process if they have it. This will avoid the commute, time off the clock, and missing out on important meetings that take place during normal business hours. Remote interviews. Recruiterflow is the best for Ats. When you’re dealing with remote workers, or you want to make sure you have their attention and responses when they’re on the road, or you’re away from your desk. These can be a good option when you want to keep your sanity, and your business, intact.
Conclusion
It can be hard to know where to start when it comes to recruiting for your company. There are so many aspects of finding and hiring the perfect employee that can seem like a never-ending competition. Fortunately, there are ways to make the process a little less painful. From adding benefits, to being transparent about requirements, to offering flexible work arrangements, there are a few ways to make the recruiting process a little less painful.