Proactive Recruiting Strategies to Attract Candidates

Have you ever had an open position at your company that you just can’t find quality candidates for? Sometimes hiring authorities feel like they have exhausted all of their usual recruiting methods—opening a job internally, posting a role online, and even reaching out to passive candidates—and still haven’t found any potential hires. This article will provide proactive recruitment strategies that will help your company engage potential candidates?before?you need them.

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Employee Advocacy

Employees are the voice of your company and can act as ambassadors to the public and to potential hires. Creating an online voice of happy employees can be an essential recruiting tool. Encourage employees to share what they love about the company in an authentic way on social media to attract talent. Your team can also write original content to post on the company website, career page, or blog. By providing information about your company from your employees’ perspectives, you are inadvertently helping candidates learn about your company culture.

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Building a Talent Pipeline

The term “talent pipeline” refers to an ongoing, proactive approach where recruiters are constantly building their networks of contacts. Rather than only finding candidates that relate to a current job search, a hiring manager can regularly grow their network and potential internal contacts so that when new positions arise, they will already be connected to a source of professionals. Every candidate counts! Employers can interact with potential hires through social media and attending events, as we will discuss more in the next point.

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Participation in Events

Attending industry and recruiting events is an excellent way for hiring managers to network with professionals in their field while also meeting potential candidates. While talent acquisition professionals may speak with plenty of people by phone and email every day, connecting with someone face to face has a stronger impact. Even though our executive search firm works remotely now, our recruiters still attend relevant conferences and events to network and represent our firm.

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Referrals

Referrals are a great recruitment strategy because not only do they save time and money, but they also come from a more trustworthy source than an online job post. With their reputation on the line, an employee will likely only refer someone for a job if they think they are a strong candidate. Plus, the person who recommends the candidate is an automatic reference. Encourage your employees to refer candidates whenever possible. Even if you do not have an open position for that person right now, you may in the future.

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Social Media

Social media is a great and often underused recruiting tool. In addition to posting jobs, it is a good idea to post original, engaging content that represents your company culture. Some companies even have a “careers” social media account dedicated to providing information to potential recruits. For a price, LinkedIn Talent Solutions offer employers with career page features where they can add the company’s mission, vision, values, photos, and even employee testimonials on their organization’s page. These career accounts can become a centralized location for candidates to find information about open jobs and learn about what it’s like to work at your company. Connecting with potential candidates on social media is a great way to build new relationships and foster existing ones.

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Optimizing Your Website for Candidates

In addition to your company’s social media pages, make sure your website is attractive and user-friendly to potential candidates. Your website is often the first impression a candidate has of your company, and it’s the first thing they will look at when they learn about a job opportunity. Making sure your site has an easily accessible career page where jobseekers can see current opportunities, quickly submit their resume, and get a feel for the company’s culture and benefits package will serve as an ongoing recruitment tool.

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Get Outside Support

If you still find yourself having trouble recruiting the right candidate for a position, consider reaching out to a staffing or recruiting firm that specializes in the industry, field, or job level you are looking to fill. They can provide additional insight into the current job market and can cast a wider net to get relevant candidates in their existing network for you to choose from.

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The bottom line is, there is more than one way to recruit candidates. Going beyond the traditional methods will open doors to candidates you may not have found otherwise. Proactive recruiting techniques ensure that you have a constant stream of candidates coming your way, so you can save time searching for candidates to fill positions down the line.

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Bristol Associates, Inc. is an executive search firm with over 55 years of excellence in recruiting nationwide. We specialize in recruiting for companies in the Casino Gaming; CBD; Facility and Concession; Food and Beverage; Healthcare; Hotel and Resort; Nonprofit; Restaurant and Foodservice; and Travel, Tourism, and Attraction industries. Apart from executive recruiting, our team also offers salary survey services for organizations nationwide to ensure that they remain a competitive employer in today’s dynamic job market.

Interested in working with Bristol Associates? Click here if you’re an employer or here if you’re a jobseeker.

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