Sourcing the best candidates is one of the biggest challenges faced by startup recruitment agencies.
Talent shortages and competition from larger agencies are just two of the barriers to finding the best people.
However there are a few strategies that you can employ to find the perfect candidates:
1. Get Social
Social media has lots of advantages to offer your recruitment agency, it’s just a case of finding the channel that’s right for your business.
You also need to think about the content that you share. Get as industry-specific as possible, connecting with your audience on what matters to them. Creating content that connects will really help grab the attention of people in your industry.
2. Make Your Job Ads Stand Out
Over the years we’ve seen recruiters experiment more and more with their job ads to try and make some noise in a busy market.
Before you start writing your ad, think about the ideal candidate you’re hoping to attract. What is likely to catch their attention? What keyphrases should jump out? Are there are any creative techniques you can use to stand out?
3. Engage Passive Candidates
Passive candidates are seen as increasingly valuable for recruiters, they have all the skills, but they’re not looking for a new job. Can you persuade them to take the leap?
Employ different techniques to engage passive candidates, building a relationship before launching in with the hard sell. They might not engage first time but they’ll hopefully remember you when they’re ready to make a move.
4. Review Your Processes
There is nothing that frustrates a candidate more than a recruiter reaching out with a role, attending an interview then hearing nothing from the recruiter until they have a new role they need candidates for!
Review your processes to ensure they respect both the time and commitment of your candidates. Plus make yourself available by being responsive to any questions they have.
5. Develop Your Brand
Your company brand is so important to building both recognition and trust with candidates. Research your competitors to see how they speak to their audience and the visual look of their website and marketing materials.
You need to find your gap in the market. Will you be fun and conversational? Focus on changing the face of the industry? Or be formal and professional?
6. Host an Event
Create an event with great speakers and useful and insightful conversations, and you won’t struggle to attract the right people.
Invest in marketing to give your event the best opportunity to succeed, and get in touch with personalised messages to ensure people feel their presence at the event matters.
7. Mix Up Your Job Boards
As a recruiter you’ll naturally have your favourite job boards that you know always deliver results. But have you considered the power of niche job boards?
You might not get the quantity you’re used to, but you might get the quality you need. Take the time to research different boards and don’t be afraid to ask for a free trial!
8. Invest in Technology
There are a ton of different softwares and tools that recruiters can now use to make the recruitment process more efficient (and successful!).
You can add a chatbot to your website for example, to help answer any frequently asked questions quickly, or invest in a video conferencing tool that helps to prescreen candidates. There are even tools that look for biases in the way you write your job ads, so it’s worth spending some time looking at all the options.
