Having the best employee recruitment strategies in 2024 is necessary for all organizations, regardless of the company size, age, location, or industry. Technology has made it easier than ever to publish job postings to a broad audience, but it has also created even more competition than before by making it harder to connect with qualified candidates. If you want to stand out and attract the right candidates, you need to implement the best employee recruitment strategies possible. That is precisely what we will cover in this blog. So whether you are looking to hire for remote sales jobs or marketing directors, read on to learn about out-of-the-box recruitment strategies that will help you hire the best employees for the job.
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What is an employee recruitment strategy?
Employee recruitment strategies are a core element of the framework that hiring managers and HR professionals follow in order to standardize and optimize hiring within an organization. Essentially, these strategies include a clear-cut plan or process that the organization follows when it needs to hire new employees. It should define the role that the company plans to recruit for, when and where those job opportunities will be posted, the evaluation strategies through which top candidates can be identified, etc.
Whether you are a small business owner, a hiring manager, an HR professional, or the CEO of a large company, you will have to recruit at some point, and it is important that you have a plans, strategies and employer partnerships in place to help you through that process. Each organization's needs and priorities are different depending on its size, age, location, or industry. But regardless of your specific company priorities, one thing that is for sure is that your organization, just like every other company out there, needs to hire exceptional talent if it wants to succeed and grow as a business.
The key to doing this is having the best employee recruitment strategies. The processes that you'll build, where you'll look for candidates, and the methods you'll use to attract them depend heavily on your business goals and organizational structure. That said, there are some tried-and-true recruitment strategies that you implement and customize based on what makes sense for your organization. So, without much further ado, let's take a look at some of those strategies.
The best employee recruitment strategies
- Use your employer brand
- Invest in your employees
- Widen your recruitment net
- Write intriguing job descriptions
- Offer unique employee benefits
You can hit all of these strategies and take advantage of their benefits through an employer partnership with BeMo. With BeMo's employee benefits program, you can offer employees unique benefits, invest in their advancement and future and add something extra to your employment offer. Through BeMo, your employees will have unlimited access to expert career coaches and admissions experts. This way, you can show your employees that you're invested in their future and continued education and give them an offer they can't find anywhere else!
We'll look at each of the best employee recruitment strategies in more detail next.
1. Establish and promote your employer brand
In the same way that product or service marketing helps attract customers to your consumer brand, your employer brand attracts top talent to your organization. Your employer branding should reflect your business' mission, company culture, and values. It is important that you not only have this clearly defined internally, but also make sure it is communicated to current and prospective employees through your website, social media, and other platforms. This branding is what will set you apart from other hiring companies and show candidates why they should work for you.
When trying to implement this strategy, you should think about questions such as the following:
Once you have the answers to these questions, it's time to make sure that prospective employees can easily find these answers online. So, make sure you create compelling copy for your website and social media that reflects this information. Candidates also like to see where and who they'll be working with, so share plenty of images. Take pictures during social events and on regular workdays so prospective employees can get an idea of your work culture.
You should also encourage your current employees to review the hiring process and their employee experience on popular hiring on popular job posting websites. Candidates often look for information about companies on these websites, so you want to make sure that the information they are finding is accurate.
Furthermore, a big part of your employer brand is the process that you put potential employees through. Ultimately, the best employee recruitment strategies involve treating candidates how you treat potential clients or customers. Whether it's a quick phone screening or an in-person or video interview, you want to ensure that the candidate's first impression of your company is positive. Most candidates are excited about being considered for a role. If they feel that you're just as excited about getting to know them, they will have a more positive experience throughout the interviewing process. So be enthusiastic, respectful of their time, and make them feel as comfortable as possible.
2. Invest in your current employees
Implementing some of the top employee retention strategies can also be one of the best employee recruitment strategies for your business. Word of mouth and reviews are great marketing tools, and as mentioned earlier, during the hiring process, you are essentially marketing your company to prospective employees. This is especially true when you are hiring for jobs requiring a specific skill set, like content writer jobs, for example. If your current employees are content, they are more likely to provide positive reviews of your organization online and in person, thus improving your company's reputation.
Furthermore, implementing an employee referral program within your workplace is another excellent recruitment strategy. This hiring tactic would allow existing employees to refer quality candidates for open positions within your organization. Typically, these programs offer rewards to employees to encourage them to participate. However, if your employees feel like they work for a good company, they are far more likely to use the employee referral program.
Referral programs are a great way to attract top talent and facilitate acquiring more diverse talent. You can use a great diversity recruiting strategy by communicating the value of diversity to your team and offering special rewards to employees who recommend diverse candidates.
3. Recruit through colleges, universities, and other academic programs
Campus recruiting at colleges, universities, and other academic programs can help you discover upcoming talent in your industry and help you find potential employees who are eager to learn and develop their potential. It also gives you a chance to get involved in the community while aligning your company with internship hiring opportunities and campus connections.
Career fairs and employer visits to campus are good opportunities to start a traditional student recruitment strategy. Sometimes employers get hung up on the idea of recruiting from top universities like the ivy league schools or famous institutions like Stanford, but depending on your recruiting budget and the location of your target schools, that might not be cost-efficient. It's important to think outside the box and leverage every channel, starting with your local community and in-house.
Reach out to people in the community and source your coworkers to see if they have any relationships with former professors who can share information about employment opportunities with their students. You can also connect with alumni networks and ask to be notified of networking events, attend networking and alumni events at your own alma mater, and submit employment opportunities through alumni portals. The idea is to give potential employees a chance to engage with you by having multiple touchpoints.
That said, you do not need to reach out to any and every school. It would be best to work with schools that share similar ideals as your company, as this strengthens both brands. For example, if your company values diversity and inclusion, partnering with a school that is also actively addressing these concerns adds credibility to both of your programs. Reaching out with a specific reason for doing so sets you apart and will make your partnership offer more attractive to different schools, even the more selective ones.
Look at which areas of your company have positions to fill, then match these roles with schools with strong programs in related disciplines. For example, companies looking to fill out their IT departments will want to build relationships with schools known for their computer science programs, such as Caltech or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), while marketing and finance positions can be sourced from the best undergraduate business schools.
4. Write compelling Job Descriptions
The job description is usually what helps a candidate decide if they want to find out more about your company and apply or move on to the next job posting. It is supposed to communicate a lot of information about the role, but also about the company as a whole. Here are a few things that you can do to improve your job descriptions:
5. Offer unique perks and benefits
If you want to stand out as an employer, you need to remember that it takes more than just monetary compensation. Employees want to work for companies that offer the best employee rewards systems. So, you should invest in some unique employee benefits such as elderly care referrals, discounts for highly valued services, and academic consulting.
The most basic employee benefits typically include medical, dental, and vision insurance. More employers are also starting to offer additional wellness benefits. Offering additional benefits that are better and more unique in addition to the fundamental health and dental benefits means can make your company more attractive to potential employees.
The modern workforce is ever-evolving, and in most industries, there is a lot of competition for great employees. Millennial and Gen Z workers are especially looking for companies that are willing to invest in them in more ways than one. That is why benefits like academic consulting are so compelling.
Academic consultants are admission professionals who guide and advise people as they pursue higher education. They help them find the right schools and programs, prepare for exams such as the GRE or GMAT, guide them through the process of preparing complicated application components, and help them get admitted to the programs of their choice.
For example, let's assume that a job seeker is looking for an entry-level position and they are hoping to eventually go to school to get an MBA and work their way up to management. If they came across a job posting for your company and noticed that one of the benefits you offer is MBA admissions consulting, it would automatically make your company more appealing to them. Considering the competitive MBA acceptance rates in Canada and the US, this service would be helpful to them.
Investing in your employees shows them that you value them and want to keep them at the company long term. This is something that your current employees will appreciate and share with others in their communities which in turn will improve your employer brand.
Conclusion - 10 additional employee recruitment strategies to consider
Finding and hiring great people requires thinking outside the box. By using the recruitment strategies discussed above, you can find highly qualified, passionate professionals and convince them that your organization is the best place for them. The best employee recruitment strategies for your organization will depend on your company's needs, budget, and the role you are recruiting for. So, take the time to review your current recruitment strategies and business needs and consider which strategies would be ideal for you. To help you with that, we've included a list of ten additional strategies below that can help your recruitment efforts.
- Include Peers in the Interview Process
- Consider past candidates
- Go to industry meetups/networking events
- Offer a signing or relocation bonus
- Explore job boards that are niche-specific
- Reach out to passive candidates on LinkedIn
- Encourage employees to review your organization online
- Boost your social media presence
- Engage with other members of your industry community
- Outsource the recruitment process
FAQs
1. Why is it important to have a specific employee recruitment strategy?
Using tried-and-true employee recruitment strategies is the best way to ensure that you are attracting and hiring top talent that fits your company's needs and fits in with your company culture.
2. What is the best employee recruitment strategy?
The best strategy depends on the role and company you are hiring for, but generally speaking, the key is to have a strong employer brand, a clear job description, and offering unique, compelling benefits.
3. Should my employee recruitment strategy be completely digital?
Not necessarily. We recommend using all the resources at your disposal, including in-person career fairs at universities, for example.
4. What are employee development programs?
They are programs designed to improve employees' existing competencies and develop newer ones to support a company's goals. Examples of these are employee education reimbursement benefits.
5. What makes a good employee recruitment strategy?
Good recruitment strategies should include programs that make employees feel valued. Offer them room for growth, and give them the opportunity to follow their own personalized learning paths.
6. What employee benefits should I offer to attract more employees?
In addition to the typical health and dental benefits, you may want to consider offering childcare & family planning, wellness programs, and continuous education benefits.
7. What do millennials and Gen Z workers want from employers?
Studies have found that millennials and Gen Z employees would rather be unemployed than feel stuck in a career that is not fulfilling. Work-life balance and professional development are two of the factors affecting their decisions to leave certain places of employment. So make sure you offer those in addition to adequate monetary compensation.
8. How can academic consulting help with employee recruitment?
Access to academic consulting companies like BeMo is one of the best benefits that you can offer your employees. These consultants are well placed to help you and your staff identify and apply for the right academic programs that will allow them to improve their competencies and skill set. This is new knowledge that they will not only use to help the company grow, but the fact that you have invested in their future will make them happier and more loyal employees.
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