The following information was shared by the Steering Committee.
In a competitive environment for workforce talent, investing in a robust recruitment strategy is an important strategy for every organization. Development of this strategy is a partnership with the organization’s human resources department. Start by developing a comprehensive understanding of your organizations’ s strategic direction. In other words, think about the positions that currently need to be filled, while also anticipating future growth or changes that might impact your hiring needs. When permitted by the organization, it is helpful to develop analytic tools to understand current picture of incoming and outgoing staff, anticipated needed position requisitions, current use of supplemental labor, and anticipated turnover.
Once you’ve identified your organization’s needs, begin building the talent pipeline. Filling your pipeline is an ongoing strategy that requires your recruitment team to proactively search for qualified candidates.
The phrase candidate sourcing refers to the process of actively searching for candidates, rather than waiting for them to apply. The following sourcing methods are useful tactics:
- Social sourcing: Search LinkedIn and other social platforms for specific keywords related to your hiring needs. Additionally, robust presence in digital recruitment websites can be a source of candidates.
- Referrals: Develop a referral program in which your employees can refer candidates and receive compensation if their referral results in a hire.
- Networking events: Networking events provide a great opportunity to engage with job candidates. In-person interaction allows you to immediately establish stronger connections with passive candidates compared to the standard online outreach.
- Recruiting databases: If you don’t already have a candidate database to pull from, consider partnering with a data provider who can provide access to a large quantity of high-quality candidates.
Establish contact with your candidate pool. This function can often be completed by a recruitment specialist in your human resources department. Focus early conversations on getting to know the candidates in your pipeline. Ask them about their own goals, experiences, and plans for the future. Establish trust early on so you can continue to develop relationships with candidates who may not be ready to pursue a new job.
Once your talent pool has been established, assess how their talents align with your organization’s needs. Assessing your talent pool allows you to identify certain traits and qualifications you may be missing. From there, you can tailor your sourcing strategy to improve the quality of candidates in your pipeline. Helpful questions to consider include:
- Is the candidate a good fit for your culture?
- Will their past experiences be applicable to your needs?
- Does the makeup of your talent pool align with your organization’s diversity initiatives?
Lastly, your recruiter should nurture the candidates in your pipeline, as many of them may be passive candidates who aren’t currently looking to switch jobs. Nurturing candidates requires a delicate balance on the recruiter’s part. You want to continue building relationships with the candidates in your pipeline, but you don’t want to irritate them. Don’t bombard them with job listings — instead, send them relevant, engaging content that pertains to their interests or the previous conversations you’ve had with them.