Recruiting Tactics for Hard-To-Fill Jobs

Are you feeling overwhelmed with recruiting right now? You are not alone. Everywhere you turn, there are employers offering hiring bonuses and other incentives to try and attract candidates. You, yourself, may have been contacted by a recruiter through LinkedIn. Don’t get annoyed though, anyone who is serious about finding great people are exploring many different recruiting avenues from networking to job boards to hiring dedicated (and expensive) recruiters. 

I remember the good old days when you could post a position on Indeed on a Friday afternoon and have an inbox full of candidates on Monday morning. If that is still happening for you, way to go. For some of us, we have had to get more innovative. Advertising on multiple job sites, changing job requirements to allow for long-term remote work options, and offering relocation assistance to attract out-of-state candidates are just a few tactics. Our compensation team at Cascade recently shared that employers continue to increase starting wages for entry-level jobs. Be careful though. If you are considering higher entry-level pay or maybe hiring bonuses, be sure to reach out to our team to review your compensation strategies, including potential impact on pay equity laws.

Where are the Candidates?

Good question. Potential candidates may still be wary of their safe return to the workforce. Others may be staying at home to take care of family, while some candidates may be delaying their job search to take some time off. Sure, some people may be enjoying unemployment benefits but I believe, for the most part, candidates are looking for a great job with an employer where they can build a career.

Improving your Search for Candidates

1. Don’t start until you are clear on the knowledge, skills and abilities you are looking for and make sure those involved in the recruitment are in agreement. Once you start the recruitment you’ll want to move as quickly as possible. Think of it as a competition to find great people.
2. Once you find a good candidate, contact them right away. Chances are they have applied at other places. If you’re hiring process takes too long, your candidate will find another job while they are waiting to be interviewed by you. Often whoever finds the candidate first, wins.

If you are looking for some other tips and tricks to fill your open positions, join me next month during our HR Connect series where we will talk about different recruiting tactics you can use for some of your hard-to-fill positions. You will come away with ideas on how to attract candidates, some new places to advertise, and renewed confidence in your recruiting strategies.