Recruitment isn’t just 'luck': What makes a successful recruitment strategy?

Recruitment isn’t just luck: what makes a successful recruitment strategy?

If you know a recruiter or a talent acquisition specialist who is consistently able to find the perfect candidate every single time, you’ve probably wondered how they get so lucky every single time.

There has to be a catch, right? Not necessarily. It may surprise several people, but recruitment is an extremely strategic and directive process. There is a lot behind the scenes to source, vet, and hire the right candidate. Of course, there’s also a lot more effort to ensure that the candidate assimilates into the company culture and stays there for the long haul.

Let’s look at some of the effective recruitment strategies experts use behind the scenes to help companies meet and scale their hiring process without relying on luck or chance.

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What makes a recruitment strategy successful?

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1. Look for qualities other than just skills and experience

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While this used to be a trend in the past, it’s no longer common practice to hire just for the experience. Employees are encouraged to be passionate about their position and the kind of work they do. These days, it’s more important to find talent that bring the zeal and vigor needed to succeed in their respective roles. It also helps to find candidates with personalities that will fit the company culture and then train them for the right position.

One of the most successful recruitment practices is to hire someone with almost 80% of the skillset you want as long as they have the willingness and personality to implement your company values.

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2. Don’t just go for your gut feeling

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It goes without saying that hiring based on pure instinct is not a good strategy by any means. It might have worked out for you once, but it doesn’t guarantee consistent results. One of the benefits of a solid recruitment plan is that it allows you to take an objective approach to hire top talent. Sure, a candidate may have been extremely charming during an interview, but that doesn’t tell you anything about their willingness to work in a team, or whether their long-term career goals align with the company culture, values and missions.

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3. Look in all the right places, and know what to use as bait

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When you want to look for the top talent, you have to develop a strategy that defines where you will search for them and the benefits that will attract them. Identify the right pool of candidates where you are more likely to catch the bigger fish, and remember that you won’t be able to succeed with a one-size-fits-all recruitment strategy. You can also opt for building up your own portal with the help of web developer to ease the process

You need to define specific job descriptions and offer competitive compensation plans for each talented individual you want to recruit. Take a multi-faceted approach and incorporate social media marketing, hosting relevant company events, networking, and even referral programs within the company to look for the right people.

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4. What’s in a name? Not much

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Finding the top talent at the right time isn’t just about looking for big names in the industry and paying the most money for them. Instead, you have to focus your search on candidates from a background that allows them to blend in with your team.

There are so many instances where companies hire candidates who have worked in some of the biggest names in the different marketing and SEO industry, give them huge bonuses and big salaries, but it doesn’t work out. The reason is that these candidates clash with existing teams and don’t have the necessary soft skills to succeed. As such, there are several key skills that an SEO specialist must possess. They must know how to ask for backlinks, but they also must know how to reach out to potential clients and lead the communication the way that they reach their strategic goals and establish long-term communication with them.

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5. There’s no such thing as luck

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Well, not really. There’s no such thing as luck alone. If your company has an avid recruiting culture and the right processes in place to build and market a great employment brand, it’s a lot easier to attract the top talent and recruit them. This means that your hard work on a long-term strategy pays off when the timing is right, and you could succeed on more than just luck.

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Tips for building an effective recruitment strategy

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Looking for ways to build a stronger team? These recruitment tips will help you come up with a more effective recruitment strategy.

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1. Get the hiring manager involved

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One recruitment strategy is getting the hiring manager involved. Don’t leave all the hiring decisions to the human resource function and get relevant departments involved. Get the hiring manager or team leaders involved to get insight into what the role entails and whether a candidate fits their requirements.

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2. Use social media to your advantage

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One recruitment strategy is using social media to your advantage. LinkedIn, Facebook groups, and your personal network are some of the tools you can access to spread the word about open roles. Whether you’re a hiring manager, or work in recruitment, finding and connecting with potential candidates on your social media is always a good place to start. Social media recruiting lets you brand your employer as well, so you don’t have to chase candidates and job seekers, or rely on job ads.

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3. Make it easy for candidates to apply

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Finding the right candidate is important, but your work doesn’t end there. Create a smooth recruitment strategy from application, job offer to onboarding, so it leaves a good impression on your passive candidates. Ditch the old job boards for Facebook Job Postings or other applicant tracking systems so a potential candidate can apply easily. This will guarantee that you have a larger talent pool of candidates to choose from. Also, it ensures that candidates send their resumes to you before they forget and move on to the next employer.

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4. Think clearly about your goals and requirements

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You made it easier for the candidate to apply and were successful in beginning the recruitment strategy, but it won’t help if the right candidates aren’t applying. You don’t want to spend too much time sorting out applications looking for the perfect candidate.

To save time, make sure you advertise the right skills and goals so that you attract the right people. You don’t need to specify ivy league college degrees or define a set number of years of experience. Instead, take the lead with what you offer as a company and whether you’re willing to train the suitable candidate. Focus on creating the right work culture that hones talent and lets people shine by bringing out their best qualities.