Creative Ways to Get Top Talent in the Door

Are you struggling to fill open positions with the right talent? Look no further! This is your guide to creative and impactful strategies to promote your "We're Hiring" message effectively.

Discover how to leverage social media, employee referrals, unique hiring events, and strategic partnerships to attract top candidates. From crafting compelling job descriptions to showcasing your company culture, you’ll get actionable tips to make your job openings stand out and reach the best talent in your industry. 

Get ready to revamp your hiring approach and fill those vacancies with the perfect fit for your team.

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How to woo ideal job candidates

With the job market only growing steadily more competitive, now’s the time to reassess your hiring strategies and find new ways to attract top talent. Today’s job seekers are looking for companies that stand out and bring value to them as an employee. 

Traditional job postings simply don’t cut it anymore, and they come with challenges that make it difficult to stay competitive. Posting job ads and using job boards can still work, but these sites are flooded with similar job openings so it’s hard to stand out. Sifting through thousands of open positions can also be daunting and overwhelming to candidates.

The solution? Finding new, creative ways to show up where your ideal talent is, such as social media, hiring events, and through referrals.

Leverage social media for hiring

Many job seekers, especially millennials and Gen Z, not only spend a significant amount of time on social media but also use it to find out more about companies they want to work for. If your company’s social media presence isn’t optimized for recruitment and promoting your brand, you might get overlooked.

You want to be active on social media to stand out to potential candidates. Crafting compelling social media job posts and campaigns will draw in your ideal talent and show off your brand. Actively engage with potential candidates on relevant platforms so you are coming to them versus the other way around—and don’t be afraid to strut your stuff! Job seekers want to know you align with their values and goals.

According to CareerArc, 86% of job seekers use social media as part of their job search. That’s a huge opportunity you don’t want to miss out on. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram live at the top of the list when it comes to job seekers on the hunt.

Host unique hiring events

What’s better than connecting with someone online or via email? Connecting in person! The hiring process can feel very impersonal at times, especially when you’re sifting through applications and resumes submitted online. Hiring events, job fairs, and open houses provide an opportunity to put a face to a name, both for hiring teams and potential candidates.

Hosting these types of events also boosts your brand visibility and demonstrates commitment to your workforce. If you want to get out there, you’ve got to truly get out there. Candidates who have an enjoyable experience with you at an event will either want to work with you or will speak of you highly to other potential candidates. This equals higher quality relationships with your hires.

When you’re preparing to host a hiring event, consider these steps:

• Prepare, prepare, prepare. Planning your setup, company pitch, and promotional materials makes the experience more enjoyable for all. And don’t forget about the visuals!
• Listen actively. You’re not just there to hand out flyers for your open positions. Attendees will have insights on job market trends and things that draw them to a company that can be helpful in your search for the right fit.
• Make information accessible. Be ready to let candidates know about available positions and how they can apply. To keep things easy, consider creating a QR code or including a link to your website so they can get straight to it.
• Always follow up. You’ve just made tons of valuable connections, and you don’t want to let them slip away. Follow up with ideal candidates soon after to chat more or schedule interviews.

Optimize job descriptions and career pages

It may also be time to refresh and brighten up your job descriptions. What is it that your ideal candidates are really looking for? Requirements are one thing, but what will truly compel them to apply? Include your unique value adds like missions and goals, workplace culture, commitments to equity and inclusion, and what they can expect working with you. 

You also want to make your job descriptions and career pages match your company personality. Buzzwords like “fast-paced environment”, “innovative”, and “industry-leading” are great for SEO and bringing your postings to the top of results. In addition, try mixing up your language to let your own style shine and attract the right people for your team.

Another great way to optimize career pages is featuring employee testimonials and success stories. In a world of customer reviews, sites like Glassdoor shine as job seekers can get first-hand feedback from previous or current employees. In fact, a 2021 study showed Glassdoor was one of the top three sites where workers find employer information. Take a page from that book and show why people want to work with you.

Social media is also a great option for promoting your hiring events. You’ll be spreading word of your events while also boosting your social media activity. Win-win.

Optimizing your job postings can also be accomplished through software tools like Homebase Hiring where you can post jobs, track applicants, and onboard new employees in one place. There’s also a library of pre-written, customized job descriptions to get you started and help you promote your posts with paid boosts.

Tap into employee referrals and partnerships

Referral rates come from your current employees who are familiar with your work structure and company culture to a T. If your employees provide referrals they think can be a good fit, you have a higher chance of finding ideal candidates that will mesh with your team, boost productivity, and increase morale. 

Employee referral programs also fill jobs 55% faster than those that don’t use referrals, and companies that use referrals can save about $3,000 or more per hire on average. Referred employees are also statistically more profitable than other hires.

Referral programs are all about encouraging employees to share your business and what’s great about it with their circles. You can do this by offering incentives, bonuses, and other tokens of appreciation. Homebase Hiring has features to help you manage your walk-in and referral applications as well.

You can also leverage the help of recruitment partnerships to save time and resources, expedite the hiring process, and expand your talent pools. Recruitment partners get to know your business, making it easier to find ideal candidates that not only have the right skill sets but fit within your company culture. This in turn boosts productivity and retention.

Embrace creativity and innovation

The strategies above are all excellent starters for freshening up your hiring practices. To take it a step further, you can think outside the box with even more creativity and innovation in recruitment and hiring. For example, gamification can be used to encourage engagement and activity with your company and your job postings. This adds an element of fun to job seeking which is historically tedious.

You can also utilize the latest and greatest technologies to expand and improve your recruitment process. Elements like virtual reality experiences can advance your recruitment practices—recruiters can design simulated office tours as well as sophisticated remote interviews. VR can also be useful in immersive skills tests that go far beyond a traditional resume, testing real-world applications and interpersonal skills.

Start crafting your dream team

There are so many options to choose from when it comes to spicing up your recruiting and hiring practices, whether that be through social media, hiring events, referral programs, new technologies, and far beyond. 

When refreshing your processes, keep in mind that these strategies are not either/or. Using a multi-faceted approach will get you in front of more candidates, expand your talent pool, draw in more qualified candidates, and help you create the top-notch dream team you’re looking for.

The proof is in the pudding—the job market is incredibly competitive. The key to attracting top talent that will drive your business forward is standing out above the crowd, and these creative hiring strategies are your ticket to doing so. Start bringing in top talent today!

Hiring your first employee? Check out the Homebase New Hire Training Checklist and Onboarding Guide. 

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