In business, efficiency, focus and the ability to hit key milestones on a reasonable timeline all depend on having talented employees. Knowing who a company needs on board is only part of the equation. HR professionals need to step up the game to attract candidates in today’s job market. Attracting and hiring the right people requires a solid talent acquisition strategy.
Traditional acquisition tactics aren’t always in line with the way modern job seekers think, so it’s time for companies to get innovative with the way they reach out to and connect with prospective employees. Instead of running the same old campaign, try these 5 innovative approaches to improve your talent acquisition strategy.
Use the Media for Strategic Talent Acquisition
Although today’s candidates interact with local news broadcasts and newspapers differently than previous generations, getting a business in the headlines can still have a big impact when it comes to recruitment. Turn the search for applicants into a distinctive campaign with an eye-catching display or interesting event the local media will want to cover. Whether the story appears in the paper, on an evening news segment or on the website of a well-known local channel, companies can instantly gain access to a wide pool of talent without a big investment of time or money.
If social media is the preferred outlet, consider producing a recruitment video using a service like Digi-Me. A customized job video with a compelling message and a strong SEO strategy has the potential to go viral, reaching young professionals and tech-savvy candidates while simultaneously increasing brand awareness across a general audience.
Make Culture Part of a Talent Acquisition Strategy
Prospective candidates want to know why the companies to which they apply are worth working for. Is there a strong company culture with room for creativity and opportunities for growth? Are employees given tools to make the most of their jobs, provided with chances to collaborate and encouraged to have fun?
Culture is particularly important to millennials. This segment of the workforce is a rich source of talent, but they have specific requirements when it comes to working conditions. Millennials like to know their employers care about their well-being and are invested in their futures. They prefer the ability to work on flexible schedules, and they want to be able to apply their skills in meaningful ways instead of performing rote tasks.
Companies must emphasize what sets them apart and show why current employees enjoy their work. Find out what staff members like most about the company, and convey these sentiments in the “About” section of the website, in marketing messages, on social media and in recruitment materials. Offering online “office tours” can help prospective candidates get a feel for the working environment, and behind-the-scenes footage shows how employees interact on a daily basis.
Highlight Talent Growth Opportunities
Employees no longer view jobs just as ways to earn paychecks so that they can go home and enjoy a comfortable life on weekends. Today’s candidates are looking for companies where they can develop their talents and have the opportunity to move into better positions as time goes on. Strong onboarding programs and continuing on-the-job training options boost talent acquisition strategies by allowing companies to attract hard-working candidates with a commitment to personal and professional growth.
How a business monitors its staff members and responds to their needs is critical when it comes to hiring top talent. Many cloud-based platforms offer the ability to track employee performance and progress. Using these systems, employers can see where staff members are excelling and where they need help. This information makes it possible to create targeted career plans for each staff member, set a trajectory for future growth and deliver help or learning materials accordingly.
Make Applications a Game
It’s not always easy to pinpoint the best talent in a stack of applications or a sea of emails. Turning the recruitment process into a brainteaser or “test” weeds out unqualified candidates while attracting the attention of problem solvers and people who enjoy a challenge. A creative recruitment video from Digi-Me or a coded advertisement displayed in a prominent area entices the best prospects to learn more about what a business has to offer.
Google is a prime example of a company leveraging this unique strategy. With a series of billboards displaying a simple equation and suggesting the answer would lead to a mysterious webpage, the company attracted the types of job seekers it wanted for its smart, creative team. People prefer these types of interactive exchanges with companies in advertising, so it makes sense a similar approach would work in recruitment.
Consider Acquiring Talented Customers
This is perhaps the least obvious but most promising of the 5 innovative approaches to improve your talent acquisition strategy. Customers are already familiar with the branding and “voice” of the companies with which they interact. The most loyal can list the features of their favorite products and services from memory and aren’t shy about talking up what they like the most.
Reaching out to customers when looking to recruit top talent catches the attention of passive candidates, people who have an interest in working for a company but may not be in the process of looking for a job or aware of the current call for employees. No expensive campaigns or advertisements are necessary to target this group. Simply putting out the call by including hiring information on receipts, on postcards tucked into bags at the time of purchase or in email newsletters is enough to drum up interest and bring in a wave of applicants.
With these tips for attracting top talent, companies can bring in the best and build a strong core group of staff members with the knowledge and abilities to support their vision for the future. As businesses grow, applying the same tactics attracts new team members with fresh skill sets, allowing companies to continue to reap the benefits of an innovative talent acquisiion strategy.
