Effective Recruitment Strategies: Finding and Attracting Top Talent

Having top talent in its payroll is crucial for every company’s long-term success. Thus, developing an effective hiring strategy is essential, helping organisations source, identify, attract, hire and retain talented professionals that can contribute in reaching organisational goals. 

New strategies and technologies are continuously introduced, so employers can be certain at all times that they’re hiring the candidates that are the best fit.

Although there are numerous strategies to consider for your own organisation’s recruitment approach, we have rounded up the 7 most effective recruitment strategies used in today’s job market, to give you an edge in your hiring. 

Let’s dive into them!

1) Job ads that reflect the company 

Company policy and values are an integral part of every organisation and job advertisements should reflect that. In fact, a study by LinkedIn found that 68% of workers in the UK, France, Germany, and Ireland prioritise organisations that share their values when applying for roles, suggesting the growing importance of company culture and values for attracting and retaining top talent. 

If your company culture is all about enjoying some light hearted fun every now and then and prides itself on its informal atmosphere, then make sure to mention that in the job ad. Alternatively, if your company is very professional and has a corporate feeling to it, make sure you keep a professional and polished tone in the ad. 

Not only that, but make sure to also include a section that discusses the company’s values, missions and goals. It’s far more likely that candidates who share the same values apply for your company , and more often than not, they’re the employees that are the most engaged and best fit in the company culture. 

Most importantly, job posting must be accurate, proofread and spell-checked. If inconsistencies and spelling mistakes are found, they could easily deter candidates from applying, as the company may come across not as competent and serious as made out to be.

2) Employee referral programme 

If there’s a set of individuals that knows best what skills and personalities would be the best fit for a company, it’s no other than the existing staff. Also, if you already have good and trusted employees, then you’re likely to trust that their referrals will fit well into the company culture. 

Harness this knowledge by offering an employee referral programme, where employees can enjoy incentives by recommending possible new hires. If their recommended candidate is hired, then the employee gets awarded with some sort of benefit, whether that’s extra days off, a voucher or a monetary bonus. This is more likely to be a successful hire, as employees will make sure to make a good referral, to increase the possibility that they receive the benefit offered alongside it. 

According to Aptitude Research's ‘Solving the Sourcing Challenge’ report, 62% of organisations which utilise employee referral programmes have reported that they help reduce the time it takes to fill a position, while 84% of companies find it to be the most cost-effective sourcing strategy. 

3) Targeted Social Media use

Truly great talent can also be found amongst those who follow your company and are familiar with your brand, so why not utilise the reach and potential of social media? You most likely already use social media to attract customers, so why not apply that same strategy to also attract talent? 

As you’re probably quite well aware, social media channels have great reach and receive a lot of engagement, which makes it a great place to look for new hires. Share job listings on your company’s social media, employee testimonials and even ask your employees to share social media posts to their personal accounts for greater visibility and engagement. 

Don’t just stop there though. Your company’s social media should reflect everything it does, even work outside of the business activities. For example if you support non-profit organisations or charities, make sure to include posts with visual content about it. 

This helps potential hires align themselves with your company and make them feel like the work they’d be doing under your company’s management would be rewarding and worthwhile.  

4) Improve Interview Engagement 

Interviews are perhaps one of the most powerful and effective tools recruits have at their disposal for assessing whether or not a candidate is qualified, has the right skills, experience and personality to excel in a role. 

However, it’s often hard not to fall into the trap of turning an interview into an interrogation, as hiring professionals have numerous candidates to interview, and must stick to a schedule, yet extract the right information. 

In order to avoid this, recruiting professionals must be prepared with predetermined questions that will be asked to every candidate applying for the same role, giving them all an equal opportunity. The last thing you want is for the company to come across as unprofessional as a result of an unprepared hiring manager that can’t answer candidates’ queries. 

Along with that, stay away from traditional and overused questions, while keeping the interview itself short and to the point. Oftentimes, unsuccessful candidates post reviews of their hiring experience with companies on different online job sites and lengthy interviews can convey a lack of respect for candidates’ time. In fact, recruiting software company CareerArc Social Recruiting found that 72% of job applicants tend to share bad experiences online or with someone. 

Another way to keep interviews engaging is by allowing candidates to ask questions about the company, its values and objectives, the job itself, and the skills required. A study found that 72% of companies which provide candidates adequate information have seen an improvement in their hiring quality, and this is a good opportunity to do so. 

5) Enhance employer branding and employee value proposition 

Employer branding refers to the identity and reputation a company has as an employer by potential recruits, current employees, leavers and retirees. Essentially, it’s what someone thinks of when asked what it’s like to work for a certain company. 

However, employer reputation isn’t an element that can be controlled or something a company can invest in, but rather something that can be shaped. A successful employee brand can actually form the foundation for a successful marketing recruitment strategy.

 In fact, research has found that a positive employer brand can lead to improved performance against competitors, through retention and increased employee engagement. Adding to that, according to Glassdoor, 92% of employees would consider changing jobs without a salary increase, for the opportunity to work for a company with an excellent reputation, while 86% of job seekers said they wouldn't even consider working for a company with poor social standing.

Alternatively, the employee value proposition sums up all the benefits and rewards employees receive from their company. Think of it this way, it’s the promise an employer makes in return for an employee’s commitment. 

The more robust an EVP is, the more likely it is for employees to talk highly of their employers, refer it to others and in turn, the company receives good publicity. Not only that but, consulting firm Gartner found that organisations which effectively deliver on their EVP can decrease annual employee turnover by 69%.

6) Utilise internal talent 

While acquiring new talent to fill skills gaps in the workforce is very important, employers cannot remain competitive when they purely rely on that. It’s essential that focus is also placed on identifying, unlocking and nurturing the potential current employees can have. 

Oftentimes, the talent within is overlooked, but they can be the key to addressing those gaps, as well as reducing the overall employee turnover. LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends 2020 report identified that employees stay around 41% longer at companies with high internal hiring compared to those with low internal hiring. 

And let’s be honest, who’d be better than an employee that’s already familiar with the ins and outs of a company?

Don’t forget that with every new recruit there are added costs for advertising, recruiting and training. In fact, studies confirm that external hires can cost a company 18% more than internal hires would, while they’re also 21% more likely to leave within the first year of their employment.

So why not start with the talent from within? You could unlock potential you hadn’t then considered before, while also showing your staff that you value and recognise their effort, commitment and professional professions, further enhancing your employer branding. 

7) Implement skills-based recruitment 

Skills-based recruitment refers to hiring candidates based on their demonstrable skill sets rather than their educational accolades and work experience. 

Through this approach, employers are able to look for transferable skills or how far candidates are able to develop them in the position. One of the main advantages of this skills-based hiring is that it can significantly increase the talent pool.

Aside from that, the job market is constantly changing with courses and qualifications continuously being introduced and updated, at a pace that’s merely impossible to keep up with. 

Skills on the other hand, will never lose their importance and are a constant in job listings, making skills-based hiring an evergreen and powerful tool for HR professionals when trying to find the right candidate. 

Based on your organisation's hiring needs, capabilities and budget, there are numerous recruitment strategies you can implement to enhance your workforce and fill any evident skills gaps. 

Not only that, but such strategies can also help boost your organisation’s reputation, making it appear as an attractive employer to top talent. 

Remember that a well-rounded and well-executed recruitment strategy not only helps effectively fill vacancies, but also contributes to the fulfilment of organisation objectives, as well as enabling long-term organisational growth and success. 

Help your organisation attract top talent with effective recruitment strategies by enrolling on a 100% online CIPD HR qualification today.