Recruitment Tips for Employers (Part 1)

March 22, 2018

Hey, Breadwinners! This week I’ve had the same question over and over from both employees and employers, how do we achieve better recruitment results? Even though unemployment is low, turnover seems to remain consistent. What can we do to increase the effectiveness of the recruitment process?

This week I’m going to give you my Top 5 Recruitment Tips for employers and employees.

For Employers:

1. Put Yourself Out There

A lot of recruitments don’t work because there’s no plan in place. You have to be in the game in order to be noticed. Don’t rely on dated job postings and old information on line. The only thing worse than having no online presence is having a dated online presence. Keep your website and job postings updated and refreshed regularly. You’re not going to reach a wide candidate pool by not doing the work necessary to be visible online and drive people to your site and postings. Make sure your postings are specific enough to attract the type of candidate you want but not so restrictive that people don’t think they have a chance. Keep your expectations realistic and let the candidates come to you.

2. Look at the Entire Candidate

Don’t get caught in the trap of solely relying on a resume or degree to determine a good fit for your position. Put just as much focus on soft skills. The majority of performance issues and discipline I deal with is not from someone that doesn’t understand or can’t do their job, it’s from being unable to play well with others. They lack interpersonal skills, conflict resolutions skills, can’t perform in a team environment or just have a poor attitude. Don’t get dazzled by a resume if it belongs to someone that can’t get along with their coworkers or requires too much “special handling” to correct their conduct.

3. Be Mindful of Your Branding and Media Presence

Most job seekers use social media more than anything else to find new opportunities. No one is looking in the classified ads on Sunday to find a job. Make sure your online presence is something you have personally crafted. Competitors, former employees and others that don’t have your best interest in mind will put information out about you that doesn’t shoe you in the best light. It’s important for you to control the message. Highlight the things that are great about your organization and use a professional company or specialist to help guide your marketing and branding.

4. Look at Total Compensation

Remain competitive when reviewing your compensation and benefits. Research what is going on in the market and make sure you’re not falling behind. Don’t pay well below market and wonder why you can’t attract good talent. Continue to incentivize and attract new hires by not focusing solely on salary but also on other benefits that you offer. Healthcare, flexible work hours, teleworking, etc. are all benefits that employees consider when taking a job offer.

5. Stay Positive

Recruiting a suitable candidate is a lengthy process. I could tell stories all day about people that were hired out of a feeling of desperation and it turned into a nightmare. Pace yourself. Set a realistic timeline based on what you’re looking for and adjust your approach as needed. Be strategic in your approach and make sure you’re targeting the right audience to reach the right candidates. The cost of a bad hire in terms of substandard performance, bad attendance, bad attitude and all the other negatives are much higher than having a position unfilled until the right fit comes along.

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