Every manager knows that the success of any business depends on recruiting a great team of employees. It takes more than this process and involves more than casting a wide net and seeing what you catch to find and hire good people. 

Gone are the days of posting a want ad in the newspaper and collecting resumes by the dozen. Potential hires are more selective about the companies they want to work for and savvier about how they go about searching for a job. To successfully recruit the ideal staff for every position your organization needs, you need to be strategic in your search and follow today’s proven hiring practices.

Here are 14 proven recruitment strategy tips* to improve the chances of identifying superior employees and associates:

1. Be Strategic About Your Search

A strong candidate search demands a thoughtful recruiting strategy to successfully identify, attract, and hire the best candidates for your open roles. A few basic starting points that can help you recruit job seekers: 

  • Post your openings on job boards – with an idea of salary

  • Utilize online career websites (see #14)

  • Work with traditional recruiting agencies

  • Utilize an employee referral program (see #6)

2. Create a Standout Job Post

Writing an attention-grabbing and thorough job description is one of the most important parts of the hiring process. Here are a few tips to consider:

• Be clear about the job title. The more accurate your title, the more effective you
  will be in piquing the interest of the most qualified and interested job seekers.

• Include a compelling summary. Provide an overview that gets job seekers
  excited about the role and company.

• Cover the job essentials. Write out the core responsibilities, hard and soft skills,
  day-to-day activities and explain how the position fits into the organization. 
  Keep descriptions concise.

• Be upfront about salary. If you’d prefer not to include a specific dollar amount,
  be considerate to candidates and at least include a salary range.  

3. Remember…Interviews Go Both Ways

A candidate’s first impression of your company is critical, so it’s important to make them feel like you’re just as excited about getting to know them as they are about being considered for the role. Treat them as you would a customer.

• Be respectful of a candidate’s time by showing up to the interview on time,
  whether it’s by phone, Zoom, or in-person. Running late? Let the candidate
  know.

• Be communicative post-interview. Provide your contact information so
  candidates can reach out with questions throughout the hiring process.

4. Don’t Forget Their Soft Skills

Successful candidates should check boxes beyond the hard skills needed for the
position. They should be good communicators, team players, problem solvers, critical thinkers, and flexible with the ups and downs of the business. 

Be sure to prepare a few “what-if” questions relevant to your company work and culture that can showcase a candidate’s soft skills. Ask your staff to weigh in with ideas – they know what it takes.

5. Dive into the Passive Candidate Pool

Some of your best prospects may not be the ones actively looking for a job – they’re already content where they work. A Talent Trends survey showed that 45% of working people are open to talking to a recruiter if approached. And 15% of those professionals admit they peruse their personal social media networks to keep their eye on what’s out there, jobwise. If you get wind of a potential candidate, it never hurts to reach out to, at least, gauge their interest about having a conversation.

6. Establish Employee Referral Incentives

That terrific staff of yours likely has a circle of equally terrific friends in the industry. Employees who know about job openings may already be sharing news about opportunities with professional associates, but you can up the ante by establishing an employee referral program with attractive incentives. These could be bonuses when a referred candidate is hired or contests for trips. Be creative with exciting referral incentives, to help motivate more chatter and hopefully build a bigger pool of potential candidates.

7. Be Open to Boomerang Hires

Yes, it’s a thing. People who worked for your company in the past are often interested in coming back after gaining experience elsewhere. In fact, 76% of HR professionals say they actively consider boomerang hires. 

Former employees tend to know the ropes and your culture and conversely, you know much about their personality and work style – not to mention, if the employee worked for a competitor, you may get some good insight along with a great new hire. 

8. Revisit Your Resume Archives 

Not everybody can make the cut for a position. Sometimes it’s just bad timing or other non-skill-related factors that get in the way. The ideal candidate you’re searching for right now could be in that pile of resumes you have on file. Take the time to go through past applicants. You know they want to work for you. They’ve done their homework about your company. Now could be just the time to give them a second look.

9. Work the Social Media Angle 

Social media is a fantastic recruiting tool. According to Glassdoor, 79% of job
applicants use social media during their job search. Social recruiting allows you to share job postings with your entire network and encourages a two-way conversation. 

What’s more, it’s cost-effective and far-reaching. Even if the people you reach aren’t interested in the role you’re hiring for, it’s likely they may know someone who is a good fit. Plus, by sharing photos and videos from events, your workplace and/or day-to-day office life that align with your employer brand, you give potential applicants a glimpse into your company culture.

10. Shake Some Hands

While job fairs can be helpful for finding qualified candidates, other professional gatherings and events are also an excellent opportunity to meet motivated industry professionals who are eager to network and advance in their field. For example, if you’re looking to hire a software engineer, find a local group, meetup or association focused on software development and attend a local meeting.

11. Give Your Post a Paid Boost

Because there are thousands of jobs posted on online career sights, the visibility of your job listing can decrease over time. One of the best ways to make sure your job posting continues to stand out is through a sponsored job. These paid listings ap-pear more often in any relevant search results and their placement won’t fall back in search results over time like free job listings—which can result in more high-quality applicants.

12. Create a Stellar Online Presence

Job seekers often take time to research employee reviews on online career sights, salary data, benefits and more before applying to jobs. It’s critical that the virtual “front door” to your company reflects your brand in a fresh way, and that your site is informative, up-to-date, and error-free. Be a tough critic and an even better editor/proofreader. First impressions count.

13. Involve Staff in Interviews

Sometimes the best person to interview a candidate is someone already working in the same or similar role. This employee already knows what it takes to excel in the position and can verify whether candidates have the skills and experience needed to do the job well. Current employees can also give an accurate description of day-to-day experiences and help candidates better understand what they can expect if hired.

14. Delve Into Online Resume Databases

Sites like Indeed, LinkedIn, and ZipRecruiter have massive resume databases that can be searched by job title, skillset, and more. Employers can quickly find candidates by entering a job title or skill and a city, state, or zip.

Narrow down results by criteria like years of experience, education level and more. You can also set up a Resume Alert to receive daily emails with links to new resumes that match the criteria for the positions you’re looking to fill.

*These tips were adapted from an article on Indeed.com