Whether you are recruiting because you have a vacancy or are being proactive and “building your talent bank”, you need to use the most efficient method to find the right people.
Some recruitment goals are:
- Identifying the talent needed to do the job
- Attracting the candidates who best match your needs
- Promoting your company as a dynamic place where people want to work
To begin, there are two pools from which to select employees: internally and externally. Before you begin your external search, the most qualified person for your vacancy may already be working for you! Besides reducing costs associated with external recruiting efforts, a “promote-from-within” policy can serve to boost employee morale, attract recruits looking for advancement opportunities and reduce training costs since the employee is already oriented to the organization. However, if you have a limited number of current employees or you wish to seek the new energy and ideas that come from hiring “new blood”, this may not be your method of choice.
External recruiting methods can be grouped into two general categories: short-term and long-term techniques.
Short-term techniques are designed to stimulate an immediate flow of applicants:
- Newspaper or Internet advertising
- Employee Referrals (wherein employees are awarded a referral bonus for supplying a successful applicant)
- Networking through your connections; i.e., professional associations like your local Chamber of Commerce
- Employment agencies (free services offered through government or other agencies; or based on a finder’s fee when applicants are privately supplied and a candidate is hired)
Long-term techniques often involve developing relationships with the employment community and promoting your company as a desirable place to work and develop a career through:
- Local Schools: Try contacting the counselling departments of local schools for opportunities to talk to the students about your company and career paths offered, post your vacancies on their bulletin boards or advertise through their newsletters
- Campus Recruitment: On-campus recruitment days can be a win-win opportunity.You post jobs for which you are seeking candidates. The college or university sets up a screening day where you can briefly meet a variety of students. You then choose whom to invite back to complete your recruitment process
- Career Fairs: Either through an educational institution or your professional organization, a career fair is a vehicle where you can set up a booth, along with other companies, to publicize why yours is “the best place” to work
- Open House: Some companies set aside a regularly scheduled period of time when they invite candidates to drop off their resumes and briefly meet with a Company representative. This technique ensures a constant flow of applicants and allows you to meet many prospective employees
Whatever attracting and sourcing techniques you choose to employ, remember, a well-planned approach is essential for the success of your recruitment activity.
