Recruiting is one thing the internet has changed both for the better and for the worst. Recruiting is the beginning of the hiring process and companies need to place a higher enfaces on their recruiting process and efforts. I would like to reiterate that while we need to pay attention to all aspects of the retention funnel, those at the top need more care and attention. It is much easier to retain a good hire than a bad one.
The internet has extended the reach of our recruiting efforts to a larger geographical area. This has been very helpful for those positions that can work from anywhere. There are a lot of remote teams, especially in 2020. There is really no reason to artificially limit our efforts by geography when we might find the best talent and fit for the job across the county.
The internet has also made our ads more visible to people in general. Anyone can log on to a job site 24/7/365 and do a search for a particular company, position, or town. Prior to the internet you had to subscribe to the right newspaper and look at the ads at the right time. It left employers with a much smaller pool of potential applicant for each open position.
The downside to the internet is recruiting is that it as made us lazy as recruiter. Some now consider flinging on ad on an electronic job board as a recruiting effort. I strongly disagree with this being labeled as a recruiting effort. While it is part of the recruiting process, it is not the end all be all.
I am a firm believer that we should market for talent just as we market for new business. Recruiters have to get out from behind the desk and get out in the world to find the best talent. Unfortunately, the most skills listed on a resume or the person who knows how to game applicant tracking software aren’t always the best fit.
Getting out in the world gives recruiters a chance to see who people interact with others. A longer look at their personality and how they carry themselves. Will they be a good fit for the intended company culture? Taking a longer look at prospective employees also provides time to monitor social media post and interaction with others.
There are other ways to recruit more position or technically specific position. A few ideas are to get in front of educational or training classes. Make contact of the instructors. This way you can get in front of them and learn who are the top performer and those suited to be a part of your organization.
Depending upon your situation and the positions you need to fill, start your own training programs. This allows you the time needed to interact with prospects and take the top performers. Developing your own training and certification programs also allow you to teach to the exact skill and efforts needed to be successful in the position.
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