Recruitment offers both a challenge and an opportunity: finding talent that fits the company culture and can contribute to the company.  Having said that, how do HR professionals accomplish the goal? 

Recruitment Winning

1. Improve the candidate pool

There is something to be said for candidates who walk in the door or answer an online ad, but in most cases HR is missing out on the best candidates.  These candidates are typically passive candidates.  These are the candidates who are currently working for someone else and are most likely not actively looking for a new job.  Targeting these candidates will help increase the quality of the talent pool.  HR can also:

• Look to and build relationships with universities, recruiters and search firms.
• Allow current staff to take part in external professional activities to help attract new talent.
• Look for potential employees on LinkedIn and other social media outlets.

The key is to build your candidate pool before you need it.

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2. Look at In-House Candidates first

Providing promotional and lateral opportunities for current employees increases morale.  It also makes staff feel their talents, capabilities, and accomplishments are appreciated. Giving an internal candidate an interview gives HR a chance to know them better. In return, the employee learns more about the goals and needs of the organization.

3. Employer Branding

HR should take a look at the company’s employee practices for retention, motivation, accountability, reward, recognition, flexibility in work-life balance, promotion, and involvement. These are key to becoming an employer of choice.  If these practices are successful, current employees will brag about the organization being a great place to work.  This will help increase the odds of candidates searching out the company.

INFOGRAPHIC:  The Psychology of Employer Branding

4. Involve current employees

As mentioned previously, current employees can be a big asset in attracting new talent.  Look to employees to recommend candidates.  They can event assist in outlining the qualifications of potential candidates.  Employees can help in the interview process.  As they are they ones doing the job, they can help ask questions that go to the reality of the job.

5. Offering the best pay and the best benefits

This often goes without saying:  the company that pays better and has better benefits will attract the better employee.  It is important for HR to keep track of the pay scale both at their company and their competitors.  The same can be said for the benefits.  Being able to compete in this way will help HR attract the best candidate possible.

6. Check references

It goes without saying HR should ALWAYS check references and do background checks.  In today’s society, HR needs to pursue every avenue to assure that the people being hired can do the job, contribute to the company’s growth and development, and have no past transgressions which might endanger the current workforce.  In fact, the company may be liable if a background check was not conducted and it was later learned the new employee attacked another employee at a previous job.

Conclusion

Starting at the very beginning is sometimes the best thing for HR especially when it comes to improving recruitment, hiring, and retention of employees.  Remember, the name of the game is to attract the best candidate possible.  The ideas above are a solid first step toward accomplishing that goal.  They can help organizations succeed and grow.  They also help meet the company’s needs and the needs of the workforce.

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