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Adding new team members should be exciting! Every organization can benefit from fresh, new perspectives that come with that perfect hire. However, finding that ideal candidate can be a bit hectic. Your team’s views on recruitment probably have a lot to do with how well you’ve prepared. If your processes are disorganized or not well defined, it’s probably a stressful experience and you just want to get it over with. Recruitment processes are an investment and need a little more TLC than posting an opening on Indeed or LinkedIn. Take the time upfront to nail down your recruitment strategies to find the best fit for your open position.

Before you post that new job, take a step back and reevaluate your recruiting strategies. Improving processes that aren’t panning out help save time and headaches. Start by asking yourself three simple questions.

What Does Your Company Need in a New Hire?

Before you even start writing a job description, come up with a detailed applicant description. Remember that scene in Mary Poppins where Jane and Michael list every single trait and attribute they want in a new nanny? Try something like that—don’t worry if it’s not in song. Being overly specific in this applicant profile may seem unrealistic, but it will help your hiring team hone in on the skills and experience that are most important to your organization. 

You should walk away from this brainstorming session with a job description that clearly communicates your company’s needs and expectations. If you’re filling an existing position, you don’t need to copy it verbatim. Your organization’s needs have probably shifted since the last person was hired. Evaluate that position’s primary responsibilities and if there are any gaps you want to fill so both you and the new hire know exactly what to expect. 

Why Should Applicants Want to Work at Your Company?

An enticing company culture is a great way to get noticed in a crowded recruiting pool. Salaries and benefits packages are typically similar for a given position. Company culture is what varies. Every single organization has a company culture. Whether you’ve formally written it down or not, there are certain aspects of your office that are unique. Think about what sets you apart from others in your field or industry. Why would an applicant be better served as your employee? Include language like this in recruitment materials. Help potential applicants visualize themselves as part or your team. Describe what their day-to-day will look like, the perks and fringe benefits they can expect and how they’ll fit in as part of your team. 

Think about your ideal candidate how you can market your organization to him or her. You want to find someone who will be excited about working for you—someone who will become a true ambassador of your brand and advocate for your company. While we expect our employees will do this regardless, it’s a lot easier when they believe in what they’re saying. 

A great way to ensure you find candidates who will fit in with your company’s culture and brand is by actively seeking them out. Target job seekers and reach out to them. Entice them with opportunities and benefits they’ll absolutely love and won’t find elsewhere. Remember, these people spend more time at your office, around your management team and employees than they would with their own families. Make it worth their while. 

How Will You Attract Ideal Candidates?

Ideal candidates are out there, but it’s up to you to find and attract them. As mentioned above, static recruitment strategies like throwing out an open position posting on job search sites aren’t going to necessarily bring the right people in. Think about your sales department. You probably have a pipeline in place that develops potential leads into customers. The same practices are totally applicable to your recruiting efforts. 

Start with former applicants. You should maintain a database of everyone who has applied for a position at your company in the past. Sure, there are bound to be a lot you can disqualify, but don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. These applicants are people who have already expressed interest in working for your organization. Reach back out to these folks and encourage them to reapply. 

Demonstrating interest like this isn’t guaranteeing a job offer, it’s simply a way to feel out interested applicants and build relationships with them. Making a potential hire feel comfortable with your company, its personnel, and culture before they even interview will help you make a more informed decision. 

Finally, lean on your current employees. As we discussed in the last section, your employees are hopefully advocates for your brand and company. They probably have opinions on who they want to work alongside of and can offer valuable insights into the skills, characteristics, and even personalities they want to see in their future coworkers. Furthermore, every employee is tapped into their own unique network and can help attract candidates you may not have found on your own. 

Smarter Recruitment Strategies with isolved

The right people working the right jobs provide the backbone for any organization. This all starts with smart recruitment strategies. isolved from CTR is the perfect platform to help you navigate the recruitment waters. With Applicant Tracking, you can develop unique job position templates and questionnaires, assemble an in-depth applicant database, format your own candidate rating system, and much more all in one easy-to-use platform.
Learn more about Applicant Tracking and everything else isolved can help you do to keep your humans happy.