For every CEO that gets feted by the media for their company's success, there are hundreds of hardworking employees making it all possible. Your recruitment process deserves the same care and attention as any other business strategy.

Not having the right talent in place affects your company's bottom line. 57% of C-level executives fear not meeting hiring needs will increase consumer costs. Another 54% worry about dealing with burnout among current employees.

Having top talent in human resources and marketing makes it easier to establish a company culture that attracts the right candidates. Below are some best practices successful organizations use in their recruitment efforts.

1) Build a healthy work culture

No one wants to work for an organization that makes them feel unwelcome or unfulfilled. How workers feel about the company will often reflect in the employee’s work. You’re not going to get the best work from people constantly looking for an exit strategy.

Organizations that try to understand their employees have much higher success in retaining workers. 64% of the most admired companies plan for workforce needs at least two years ahead; they’re not waiting until employees become unhappy to make changes.

Happy employees can be companies’ most effective recruitment tool. Employees who are happy are more likely to tell other people about the positive company culture and how much they enjoy where they work, which attracts qualified candidates to your organization’s open positions.

Once they’re in, new employees feel engaged and driven to help the company flourish. A positive work atmosphere also leads to better retention rates, meaning you will not have to fill the same position again anytime soon.

Characteristics of a healthy work culture

• Open lines of communication between employees and management
• Reinforcement of positive values from the top down
• Proper training to keep up with a changing business environment
• Workers who feel supported and valued
• Encouragement of a healthy work-life balance

2) Utilize powerful recruiting tools

The good news for recruiters is that today’s online environment provides endless opportunities to search for potential new employees. The bad news for recruiters is that they must put in more legwork to cover all possible outlets for recruiting talent. In addition to your standard job boards, you’ve got social media channels like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and even Instagram.

It’s hard to cover all this ground without good recruitment software. You need an applicant tracking system capable of helping you put together a talent pool of potential new hires, then guiding them through the application process.

The importance of powerful recruiting tools

Recruitment automation tools give recruitment agencies and HR professionals what they need to cover a lot of ground quickly. Software platforms like Emi help recruiters looking to fill high-volume job positions rapidly. Emi can cover essential tasks like screening thousands of job applications and streamlining the interview process for job candidates. You can check out how well Emi and other software tools work to reinforce your brand and attract top talent by clicking here.

3) Create compelling and accurate job postings

Even though we touched on how many hiring managers turn to social media outlets for potential candidates, job board postings still carry a lot of weight. Your recruitment strategy should include developing clear, concise job descriptions that explain what qualified candidates should expect if they get the job.

The last thing you want is to have new hires get through the entire application process, go through onboarding, then discover the job isn’t what they thought. Then you have an unhappy employee ready to head for the exits, and you must start the entire hiring process again.

Optimizing your job descriptions to show the impact applicants can have on a position can broaden your pool of potential candidates. Someone who may only have 75% to 80% of the qualifications you need can feel encouraged to take their shot.

What to include in your job descriptions

• A clear description of the role
• All the responsibilities that come with the job
• Candidate experience and skills required for the role
• A description of your company values and culture

4) Make your interview process unique and stress-free

The one thing that most job recruiters agree upon is the need to improve the interviewing process for open positions. The questions you ask top candidates may not go far enough to determine if that person is the right fit for the company. Because most job seekers start looking online, the technology you rely on during the application process is key to coming up with a list of potential candidates.

Once you have your final list of potential new hires, you must prepare for each interview. Take an in-depth look at the candidate’s resume and cover letter. Read through pre-screening question responses to help steer you in the right direction regarding getting a better sense of the applicant and what’s important to them.

Provide a relaxed atmosphere for job candidates, so they feel comfortable talking to you. You can get more honest answers to your queries about their background and job expectations. Expand your questions beyond what’s on an applicant’s resume. Use the time you have to understand what they consider essential—this is an excellent way to determine how well the candidate would fit into your company culture.

Be honest about what it’s like to work for your organization so potential candidates feel they’re getting a complete picture of the work environment. This way, they don’t end up feeling misled after going through the hiring process. Thirty percent of workers leave a job within the first 90 days, with 41% citing a lack of clarity about the job role as their reason.

Key tips for better interviews

• Create a structure around the interview.
• Give applicants essential information about your organization.
• Let applicants decide how they want to conduct the interview depending on available options.
• Give candidates a chance to expand on the specifics of their resumes.

5) Have a quicker hiring and onboarding process

Qualified job candidates typically have no shortage of opportunities in the job market. The longer you drag out your hiring process, the more likely it is that top talent will get snapped up by another company. It pays to invest in recruitment software capable of making your application process more efficient.

It’s equally important for companies to set up a smooth transition for new hires. If you have the right technology, the same platform that functioned effectively as an applicant tracking system can help you with employee onboarding.

Look for ways to streamline the entire application process. Making it overly tedious can discourage quality candidates. You should find ways to appeal to current employees who might be a good fit for various job openings.

Use data you’ve captured about your employee’s skills and experience to make them aware of open positions that help them advance in their careers. Providing opportunities to your current workforce goes a long way toward improving retention rates.

Automation helps with critical functions like:

• Reviewing job applications
• Scheduling top candidate interviews
• Scoring applicants on how well they fit the role
• Providing new hires with essential information about the company

Use a frontline recruitment automation tool

Get ahead of the competition using Emi's artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. We give recruitment agencies and hiring managers everything necessary to fill open positions and onboard new workers. Find out more about how you can reinforce your employer brand with Emi by scheduling a product demo.

6) Revisit resumes from past applicants

Pull together a talent pool of people who’ve applied to your company in the past. Even if they weren’t suitable for one job, that doesn’t mean they would be perfect for another. Use the information you archived from former prospects within your applicant tracking system and tag them for future job opportunities.

A talent pool makes it easier for you to find qualified applicants when a position opens within the organization. Constructing a list of quality candidates from the past gives you an edge in a tight labor market. Top candidates will already have familiarity with your company brand.

Providing them with a positive application experience in the past will leave them more open to your overtures. Below is a sample template email businesses can use to appeal to potential candidates about new job openings.

Sample template for emailing previous applicants

Hello [Candidate name],

My name is [Talent manager/HR Professional/Recruiter]. You connected with our organization about [Time frame (ex. two months ago)] when you applied for an open [Job title] position at [Company name]. [Add more personal details from the conversation/interview].

We’re currently looking for someone to fill the [Job title] role in our [Department]. You left a great impression on our hiring team. Even though we ended up moving forward with a different applicant for the last position, we knew you were someone who could become an asset to our organization.

[Discuss details from the candidate’s resume/interview that made a great impression on your hiring team].

Your skills and background appear to be an excellent fit for our [Job title] position. We’d love to set up a quick call with you on [Date and time]. If that doesn’t work for you, we can reschedule at your convenience. I’d love to hear your thoughts about the new position.

Take care,

[Name and Job Title]

7) Target passive candidates

Passive candidates are individuals who, while not actively looking for a new job, can be tempted by the right offer. Your goal is to figure out what it would take to encourage them to make a change. That’s where you can benefit from your investment in recruitment software.

Move beyond job postings and develop content that generates interest in your organization. Blog posts, videos, and newsletters are recruiting tools that showcase what your company represents. Using non-conventional ways of appealing to passive applicants can encourage them to take a closer look at job opportunities available at your company.

You should also target other channels like social media to get passive candidates’ attention. Many professionals congregate in places like Twitter, Glassdoor, and LinkedIn. They’re perfect outlets where you can promote your content and turn passive candidates into potential applicants.

Strategies for targeting passive candidates

• Make current employees a recruitment tool by having them talk positively about your organization.
• Send messages to top candidates via social media outlets.
• Optimize your company’s career website to become more mobile-friendly.
• Revamp your application process to make it easier for passive applicants to apply.
• Host live events where you discuss various company initiatives.

8) Expand your local talent pool with an employee referral

The theme we keep returning to is the benefits of having a happy workforce. Take advantage of that enthusiasm by setting up an employee referral program. Your workers provide information about people they know who might be a great fit for the company. They get rewarded with benefits like extra time off, bonuses, or other incentives.

Start by looking at your organization and determining where you need additional help. Use that information to map out what you need from new hires, like specific skills, employment experience, and educational background.

Let employees know your hiring needs, including how soon you’re looking to bring someone in. You benefit by finding the top talent you might not know about, and employees get rewards for cooperation.

Benefits of an employee referral program

• Higher retention rates
• Deeper talent pool
• Improved hiring frequency
• Greater employee satisfaction

Tap into the future of recruiting with Emi Labs

Stay ahead of your competitors by using Emi to revamp your application process workflows. Ensure you always have quality candidates at your fingertips to meet your organization’s high-volume frontline hiring needs. See how you can transform your current recruitment strategy by scheduling a demo of our platform.

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