That concept applies perfectly to recruitment. If you always go about recruitment the same way, you'll always end up with broadly similar recruits. They'll be drawn from the same places you always advertise, and as a result, they'll probably have similar skill sets and backgrounds. In the modern office, that isn't always desirable. Diversification is the theme of the day, and it's time to look at things with a fresh pair of eyes. That quote, by the way, wasn’t actually by Einstein at all. Sometimes the things we think we know turn out to be incorrect, and that includes the best way of attracting new staff.
We realize that your HR or recruitment department probably has a process to follow, and that there will be resistance to upsetting that process. Withdrawing from your usual recruitment focus areas in favor of trying new ones is a gamble, and we all know that gambling isn't a reliable way of making money (unless you happen to be very good at poker). If people won money consistently every time they played Online Slots UK, there wouldn't be quite so many online slots websites on the internet. There wouldn't be enough profit to support them all. The house always wins in gambling, just like recruitment companies make the most money out of recruitment, but that doesn't change the fact that people regularly win big at online slots websites. If you're unhappy with your trecent recruitment results, a gamble might be precisely what you need - and we're here to point you in the right direction!
Here are a few creative ideas that can open the door to a whole different type of candidate for your firm.
Modernize Your Tone
The majority of job adverts are written in very dry language, and they’ve been written that way in decades. The formal, dull tone of your text might be putting creative candidates off the idea of working for you. There’s evidence that poorly-written job specs can put women and BAME candidates off the idea of applying for the roles you're offering at the very least, and in the process, you're putting yourself out of the running for some great talent. Drop the formality. Don't be afraid of displaying a little humor. Ensure that all of the words that you use are gender-neutral and emphasize inclusivity. Ultimately, you're the one who's looking for people to come and join you. It's your responsibility to make candidates feel welcome.
Reach Out To Freelancers
How many times have you found yourself in the awkward position of needing a specific task to be done, but not needing to recruit someone full time to complete that task? There might be a short-term project that requires someone with a specific skill to assist your existing staff, or a defined job with a clear start and finish date. The traditional way of dealing with such a vacancy is to offer short-term employment, but to go through the full recruitment process to find someone to fill the role. That's a waste of your time and energy when there are so many freelancers out there willing to take work from you on a per-task basis. Look at websites like Fiverr and People Per Hour to find the right person, and pay them only for the task and the hours they spend on it. This is far cheaper than bringing someone in on a three or six-month contract - not least because freelancers are responsible for their own taxes!
Move Away From Recruitment Sites And Companies
Recruitment companies and job placement websites should be an important part of your recruitment process, but not the start and end of it. The only people you'll find on those websites are people who are looking for work right now. They either don't have a job, or they're dissatisfied with the one they're in. You need to get in front of the people who don't even know that they want to work for you yet, and wouldn't go looking for vacancies. That means running adverts in places they're likely to see them. If you want Millennials or Generation Z candidates, that means finding them on social media. Make great video or visual job adverts, and pay for a Facebook marketing campaign. You can even recruit via Tinder these days, and if you're a forward-thinking company, there's no reason why you shouldn't be doing it.
Create A Commercial
Advertising on television is a costly business. If you have the resources to pay for that, you probably don't need our advice on how to recruit. You're clearly doing fine just the way you are! If you can't afford television advertising, though, you should still consider making a recruitment commercial and posting it online. The younger generations watch far less television than their parents or grandparents; they're much more likely to watch videos on social media, or on YouTube. Create a commercial that shows what a great place to work for your business is - using your existing staff as advocates - and post it online. Include a link to it with all of your adverts, no matter where you post them. People respond to videos and images far better than they respond to text.
Tidy Up Your Reputation
If you've never heard of websites like Glassdoor, or you never check them, you're riding for a fall. Modern candidates do a lot of digging about businesses before they consider applying to work for them, and Glassdoor is one of the first places they'll look at. They want to know how your current and past employees have found the experience of working for you, and what they see there will weigh heavily on their decision about applying. You can't stop people posting negative reviews on there, but you can respond to those reviews and acknowledge them or objection handle them. Even if you can't resolve the issues, responding demonstrates that you're interactive, and you care about what people have to say about you. That's a positive quality in a prospective employer.
Although we can’t make any guarantees for obvious reasons, we believe that following this advice will result in you getting a field of younger, more creative, and more diverse range of applicants who can inject new blood and new ideas into your business. If that’s what you’ve been crying out for, what do you have to lose by giving it a try?
