7 Strategies For Recruiting Employees

Employees…Where Do I Find Them?

Of late, it seems like everyone is recruiting employees. It is an employee’s market, and employers are looking for an edge when it comes to attracting new employees.

Here are some strategies for recruiting employees that you might consider to make sure you are able to get the people your need to do the job:

1. Reach out to past employees – There is no one who knows your business better than they do. A discussion with a past employee (especially a good one) might give you some insight into what you could change about the position to make it more appealing and what types of people you should be targeting. After talking with you, who knows, it could turn out they would be interested in the updated position themselves.
2. Consider past candidates – Often times when you are interviewing there can be two or three candidates that you considered hiring before you decided on your pick. These people were looking for a new opportunity and were interested in your company and position once, so there is some possibility they would be interested in discussing opportunities with you now. It never hurts to ask.
3. Implement an employee referral program – Your employees are a direct conduit to their friends and family. They know when someone might be looking, and they also have the advantage of knowing your business and the positions within it. Many business owners worry about nepotism, but if you have good policies in place to prevent this, looking at friends and family can be a real benefit.
4. Implement a customer referring program – Reach out to your current customers and let them know you are looking for someone. Ask them to refer people they know might be interested and offer a small bonus or reward for doing so. Of course, your customers want to see you hire great people, because they want to deal with great people, so it can be a real win / win.
5. Use a position video – Video has a way of communicating a message beyond a black and white printed job description. It allows applicants to get a better feeling for who you are. Stand out from everyone else looking for employees by considering doing a video to explain the job you are looking to hire for and what types of applicants would be a good fit. Post it to your website and social media and ask your followers to share. Get creative.
6. Talk to the why – Most job descriptions are written to explain the “what” of the job rather than talking to the “why” someone should want to come and work for you. Do you have a paid training program? Do you and your team have pajamas Fridays? Do you allow your employees to bring their dogs to work? Do you give employee and family discounts? On top of the job and the wage, “why” else should a potential candidate even consider you?
7. Use social media and job boards – These seem obvious, but it is amazing how many people forget to post on their social media that they are looking to hire. Make sure your post stands out. Use a vibrant picture (or better yet make the video above) and make sure your heading stands out. Remember that people need to be captured in the first few sentences to entice them to read on, so pique their interest.

Recruiting employees is becoming more and more of a challenge. The most important thing is to make sure that everyone knows you are looking to hire and in using your network to help you find those candidates. Giving your various network groups (employees, customers, past employees) the information and the “calls to action”, will help you build your pool and will certainly increase your odds of success.