It has become cliché to say that COVID had impacted the current recruitment market and there are no candidates available as used to be before. Yes, it is true. However, it is the reality we are currently living and we need to understand what to do to win this battle.
Finding the right candidate for some businesses seems to be harder and harder every day. You can write a perfect job advertisement but for some positions, if you are lucky, you have more than one suitable application as the requirements you are looking for.
With the current hot job market, we can see much more job opportunities available than candidates looking for a new position. More than ever, we must learn how to adjust our expectations and requirements to attract the most suitable candidate and have success in our recruitment process.
We all know that having the right person in the right position is the most important thing in the recruitment process. It is the key success factor for any business to save time, money and have back the return on investment.
We are in a moment where we need to adapt and diversify our ways to find ‘the’ candidate and sometimes you need to go out there to hunt them.
Tap These 4 Alternative Talent Sources in a Tight Recruitment Market
LinkedIn Network
Most people have an idea that LinkedIn just became a professional Facebook. However, it is still the most used professional tool for various positions and industries. The best way to use this tool for recruitment is to expand your network as much as you can!
You can connect with key people within the industry you are recruiting for or the location you are trying to target.
Apart from that, you can share job opportunities to the market, on your personal or company page, and via private messages. In a free account, you will have some limitations to connect and send messages. However, an investment in a Premium account can be a great save of money and time regarding job advertisements and positions vacant for a long time. Headhunting seems to be the best way to invest our time to find the right candidate in the current market, who may be not actively looking for a job.
Facebook Groups
Depending on the type of positions you have, your target candidates may not be on LinkedIn. However, we still have lots of people with Facebook accounts being part of community groups and using their phones all the time. Sharing job opportunities in community groups with related topics can be a great strategy to reach the people you are seeking and work with the word of mouth.
Employee Referral Program
A referral program is a very powerful tool to be used as an incentive for your employees to assist the business with recruitment. It can be a financial bonus or a different way of recognition to motivate your employees to go out there to promote your position vacantly. It is even a great strategy to promote your business in the community and increase your NET Promoter® score. If they are referring people to work with you, it is very likely because they recommend your business.
It can be an on-off or split into parts payment following probation period and good performance of the new employee referred, for example. The whole point is to motivate your employees to act as your partner in attracting and retaining good talents.
Partnerships and Government Programs
There are lots of institutions and government programs available to support businesses in the current market. For example, high-school students’ work experience can be a great way to assist in some non-skilled positions. There are also some incentive programs from the government to support young workers or people to return to work after an injury, for example. It can be an interesting resource for the business and assistance to the community.
We believe that the key to the success of recruitment is creativity! The usual online job posters and waiting for candidates are not the only way anymore.
If you need support with your recruitment challenges, contact our HR team for a private discussion. Outsourcing your Human Resources is always a good strategy to thrive your results.
Claire Harrison is the Founder and Managing Director of Harrisons, a flourishing HR consulting business that sprouted in 2009 from Claire’s passionate belief that inspiring leaders and superstar employees are the key success factor to any business. With over 20 years’ experience, Claire has worked as a HR Director of multi-national organisations, as a Non-Executive Board Director, and a small business owner. Claire’s corporate career includes working with companies such as BHP, Westpac, Fonterra and Mayne Nickless.
