Recruiters may encounter particular challenges when faced with a task to find a talented and competent candidate for filling a position that may be relatively low-paid, requiring unique skillset, demanding in term of the workload, time spent at workplace, or the effects it might have on health, or associated with educational, experience-related, or other requirements that are hard to meet by a candidate. Also, one may face labor shortages and fierce competition for top talent or have competitors offering higher salary.
This guide is designed to equip recruiters, hiring managers, and other human resources professionals with knowledge and skills they will need to find a good match for the positions that are hard to fill. Here are five tips/ strategies one can use alone or in combination to succeed in the task of recruiting for hard-to-fill positions.
Developing Recruitment Strategy
The first thing a recruiter can and should do is creating a strategy to expand the pool of potential candidates. For example, you can use a combination of recruiting techniques including allocating a recruitment budget, selecting the right recruitment marketing platform, using job postings, using a referral program, using social media platforms, and taking advantage of human resources (HR) technology. This comprehensive approach will help to reach a greater number of potential candidates interested in the job offer and facilitate the search for job applicants. Then, once you have several candidates, you can select the best match for the position.
Compelling Job Description
Writing a compelling job description is one more strategy to achieve success. You need to create a job description that catches attention, makes vacant position look appealing, and highlights unique benefits an employee can enjoy once he/she starts working for the company. Moreover, it is necessary to use positive language and include information about career opportunities, social responsibility initiatives, and what makes the company stand out as unique. However, refrain from creating a laundry list of skills and experience qualifications required to prevent potential candidates from feeling they are not a good fit for the position. Remember that offering hard-to-resist benefits and a competitive salary makes a description of a vacant position considerably more compelling.
Looking for Candidates within a Company
Some recruiters may forget about human resources that they have within their organizations. In this regard, looking for talent from among your current employees is an effective recruitment strategy. For the difficult roles to fill, a recruiter should also look within the company. In many instances, training an internal candidate can be a more efficient, cost-effective, and a quicker route to filling hard-to-fill positions. Remember that developing talent internally pays off.
Using Referrals
One more strategy that may be effective is using employee referrals. To fill a hard-to-fill position easier, encourage your employees to look at their friends and acquaintances and recommend those with the skills for the job. Also, you can give to your staff members the incentives for successful referrals. This strategy makes it possible to broaden your reach. Importantly, referrals from current staff are trustworthy since your employees will not risk recommending an unqualified applicant and damaging their reputation in the company.
Using Technology
Finally, take advantage of HR technology. For instance, you can use the strategy based on using HR software solutions. For instance, depending on functionality, HR technology and solutions can enable recruiter to track, assess, compare, and interview applicants online. Some recruitment software solutions have built-in text messaging function to help candidates to apply for vacant positions using company website with an easy-to-fill application form. Finally, some software solutions allow monitoring referred candidates, tracking their progress with going through the stages of the recruitment process, and determining whether current employee should receive a referral bonus.