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Best Recruitment Tips for 2022

The last couple of years brought several, dare we say unprecedented challenges for companies and hiring managers alike. Labor shortages. Hard-to-fill positions. Transition to remote work. And a job market that shifted like a pendulum, going from mass layoffs to an employee’s market. So how do you recruit the best employees for the coming year?

The first thing to think of are tactics that will improve the recruitment efforts. Not all strategies work as well as others. There are effective recruitment tips that, if followed, will increase the candidates that apply and the quality of the employees that join the company.

Build a Brand and Culture That Attracts High Quality Candidates

Recruitment strategy should first focus on employer branding and reputation. If a company has a bad rep, most all recruiting effort is wasted. Companies with the reputation of taking care of their employees and giving them a positive work environment will have top talent eager to apply when an opening comes available.

Pay attention to company ratings online and what past employees are saying on the reviews. Potential employees will research the company online, and if there are negative ratings, they are less likely to apply. Also remember that people talk. And one of the top topics is their jobs. With a positive company brand, they are more likely to share glowing reviews with their personal networks.

Promote Employee Referrals

Many companies may not realize this, but current employees are one of the best resources for finding new talent. Current employees know the company culture and have a better understanding of who would be a good fit.

According to a JobVite study, referred candidates go through hiring processes 25 percent faster than candidates who apply through a job posting. Another benefit of hiring employee referrals is that referred candidates are 39 percent more likely to stick around for at least one year after they are hired.

Promoting an employee referral program is easy. Offering a cash bonus, prime parking or extra time off are some perks that can motivate employees to get involved. One tip: Covey is an awesome tool that lets employees see which of their connections on LinkedIn are the best fit for different open jobs.

Leverage Social Media and Other Modern Recruiting Tools

Social media is one of the greatest platforms for building a rolodex of current job seekers and potential candidates. Using sites like LinkedIn, you are able to connect with other people in a field that you specialize in, and share content that establishes you as a thought leader. This also gives you an opportunity to interact with potential candidates and see if they might be a good fit for upcoming job openings.

Other useful modern tools to use can streamline the recruitment process to make it more effective. The most useful tools can help:

  • Conduct candidate outreach
  • Evaluate candidates
  • Post jobs on various platforms and job posting sites
  • Track and streamline applications
  • Assist with job descriptions

If you’re looking to 10x your productivity as a recruiter, sign up for Betterleap. Betterleap is an AI-powered outbound recruiting platform that seamlessly connects everyone involved in the recruiting process. Everyone from internal recruiters and hiring managers to the recruiting firms, contractors and VC firms can connect on Betterleap to source, engage and convert candidates for open roles. With one workspace for all outreach activity, recruiters can make data-driven decisions about how to best optimize their time and hire with more efficiency.

Write more specific job descriptions

The main purpose of a job description is to give potential employees an idea of what the job is, what would be expected of them and what is required to perform the job successfully. With that in mind, the more concise and specific the job description is, the better.

Just remember, job descriptions are the first real impression a candidate has with the company. When a job description is unclear or contains errors, potential applicants may hesitate submitting their resume. Employers that can add their “brand voice” to a job description

Read More: How To Write a Highly Effective Job Description

Simplify your job applications, so you don’t lose high-quality candidates

Think about your application process. How long does it take to apply? Do you have a lengthy application form that a candidate needs to fill out? Is it mobile-friendly? Keep in mind that if it is too complicated or takes too long to fill out, a candidate is more likely to back out and not return. The average drop off rate during the application process is 80%. If you track this metric and see that it is creeping up towards 90 percent or above, you may need to streamline your process to get candidates to stick around longer.

Keep it as simple and as easy as possible. Losing potential candidates this way can be costly. Not only is it expensive if you are paying per click, but your pool of candidates you hoped to interview shrank as well.

Improve The Interview Experience for Your Candidates

The interview process should be smooth and as stress-free as possible for the candidate. Showing you care and being clear about the entire interview process can make the experience much better for candidates. Give the candidate everything they need to be successful prior to the interview, like interview tips and detailed info about the person with whom they are interviewing.

Speed is another important aspect of a successful interview process. Debrief as soon as possible following an interview and provide next steps to give the candidate a sense of excitement around the role.

Have empathy for the candidate who is interviewing for the role. Remember what it is like to look for work. Value their time and have them return for a following interview only if it is necessary. Another tip is to provide positive feedback to candidates. If you’re able to communicate what a candidate did well, it will give the candidate more confidence that they’ll have positive reinforcement in the job.

Standardize your interview notes with a rubric or scorecard

Doing this will provide a quantitative basis for comparing candidates after the interviews are complete.

When it comes to hiring, many interviewers will choose the person most like themselves without noticing it, and generally this leads to an unfair interview process for employees. This could potentially mean missing out on the best candidate for a given role.

The rubric or scorecard keeps you dialed in to your hiring objectives. Interviewers’ perceptions of candidates are validated and if anything is out of the norm, it is accurately documented. Another benefit of having a standardized process is that you will be able to provide more consistent interviewer feedback. This documentation will also make it easier to spot patterns and potential biases in the recruiting process.

Be transparent (about benefits, compensation, and work arrangements)

Though you may be hesitant to review pay or benefits early on with a candidate, this is actually an important step to get out of the way earlier in the recruiting process. This can be especially difficult if your company’s benefit package isn’t competitive with other companies in your industry. Providing transparency about the reality of the job will keep you from losing candidates late in the interview process.

Think of the revenue lost if a talent signs on to the company with the impression that they will have certain benefits or pay structure, only to find out that is not the case. Putting candidates in this situation will likely lead them to become disgruntled employees or leave the company at the next best opportunity.

Conclusion

Recruitment in the upcoming year will remain challenging. Using best practices and tips that make you more efficient will improve your efforts in keeping the company staffed and growing. To get a jump start on your recruitment efforts, click here for more information on Betterleap and how we can help you.