10 best practices for recruiting and hiring top talent

It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in or the size of your company; recruiting and hiring new employees is hard today.

The reason why: There are currently 10 million job openings in the U.S., but only 6 million unemployed workers, according to the latest data from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

What’s to blame for this gap?

Industry experts say there are several reasons some of which include the Great Resignation, people taking early retirement due to the pandemic and a lack of access to childcare.

Recruiting and hiring new employees isn’t something to take lightly. It’s an expensive and time-consuming process. On average, the cost to hire a new employee is $4,700, according to research from Zippia, the career experts. Finding someone with the right experience and qualifications in the U.S. takes around 36 to 42 days. This is a big problem since most candidates are only on the market for 10 days.

With 15% of HR’s expenses allocated toward recruitment, you want the most effective and efficient process in place.

To help you do just that, here are 10 of the best hiring practices to secure top talent:

Focus on company culture

When you think about recruitment techniques, company culture isn’t the first thing that pops into your mind. However, when it comes to selling your company to job candidates, a strong company culture can seal the deal. People want to work for companies that have stellar reputations.

Companies that have a good brand communicate to candidates they’re professional and take their business seriously. Plus, people nowadays look up companies on social media and job posting sites that have reviews. If potential candidates read that a company doesn’t pay or treat their employees well, they’ll be gone faster than the speed of light. Typically, there are no second chances. Once they’ve read the bad reviews, their mind is made up.

Make sure your company culture is clear and concise because you want to attract people who are like-minded with your core business values. As far as social media goes, give potential candidates a look at what it’s like to work at your company.

Treat candidates like you’d treat your customers

You can’t get a second first impression, so whether the interview is via the phone, Zoom or in-person, make a great first impression. You want candidates to believe you’re excited to meet them. Would you want to work for someone who gives you a lukewarm reception?

Indeed says one of the best recruiting techniques is to treat interviewees just as you would your best customer. That means being respectful of their time – being prompt for interviews whether they’re in-person, via the phone or a video conference. If the interview is in-person, offer them a beverage and show them where the bathrooms are. And finally, give them your contact information in case they have any follow-up questions.

Create an employee referral program

Employees are a valuable recruiting tool. They’ll tell their friends and colleagues if they like working at their company. It’s an easy and fast way to fill your pipeline with qualified candidates. They know what the job entails and are good judges of character.

If you don’t currently have a referral program, it’s important to create one. It should offer incentives and recognition to employees if their referrals are hired. Once it’s created, circulate it to all employees.

Adopt technology to help with recruitment

Technology is HR’s friend. There are several different technology platforms available that’ll help streamline the hiring process. They help HR find candidates, manage their data, and screen, onboard and manage talent.

To thrive in the future, most companies should be using data-driven recruitment tools to help them streamline their recruitment and hiring process. Because the faster you can make an offer to a candidate, the less likely you’ll be beaten out by the competition.

If you want to speed up your recruitment process, invest in artificial intelligence. AI isn’t meant to replace the human interaction of recruitment. It’s meant to find areas in your recruitment process that are repetitive and tedious, and take over so HR professionals can focus on what they do best … providing the personal touch.

How can AI help HR professionals?

It can review cover letters and resumes to find candidates with the best potential. AI can also be used in the form of chatbots to set up interview times and correspond with candidates on a basic level.

Back in 2018, 49% of 1,111 respondents (HR professionals, C-suite executives and in-house counsel) in the U.S. were using AI or advanced HR analytics in their recruiting and hiring practices, according to the Littler Annual Employer Survey. Now, over four years later, that number has increased.

Recruiting via social media

Social media can be a fantastic way to reach potential job candidates.

There are a wide variety of social media platforms HR can use to reach potential job candidates. And here’s one of the best features: It’s free!

The other nice thing about social media is you can link it to your applicant tracking system or other recruiting software.

Social media is also a great way to paint your company in a positive light, sharing what it’s like to work for the company and what the company does via philanthropy, etc. This causes people to follow your company. So, when you have an open position, advertising it on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc., is a wonderful way to reach people who are like-minded.

Crafting the perfect job description

If you want to find the best candidate for a position, it all starts with writing the most accurate job description.

If you’ve been on Indeed or LinkedIn and looked at the endless list of jobs available, you know you must make your job stand out.

When crafting your job description, you want to use words that mirror the uniqueness of your company and your brand. Indeed advises that you write about what makes you excited to come to work. If you think your company is a little quirky, write what you love about that. You want to use words that catch the reader’s attention.

Here are other things Indeed recommends doing in your job description:

• Use language that speaks directly to the candidate
• Don’t use cliches and/or buzzwords
• Feature aspects of the job and company that make your employees happy
• Highlight flexible work hours and arrangements like remote work
• Describe your physical location and include the design of the office as well as your location benefits
• Emphasize how your company promotes career development, and
• Call attention to your collaborative office culture.

Make sure your job description has a call to action (CTA), such as:

• Join our team
• Apply straightaway
• Contact us to learn more about our company, and
• Check out our social media for more about our awesome team.

Putting in the right keywords is essential. Get input from managers, supervisors and even other employees. What words would catch their attention in a job description? And at the same time, make sure you describe the responsibilities and requirements of that specific position.

Finally, encourage people to apply even if they don’t have every single requirement or experience in the job description.

Pursue passive candidates

What is a passive candidate? They’re people who aren’t actively looking for a job because they have one and are content or happy with it. They can be past co-workers, people you know from college, friends, neighbors, etc. The best way to approach them is via LinkedIn or other industry-relevant social media platforms.

Look at more than just the resume

Resumes can only tell you so much. Most candidates are so much more than what’s on paper. Are there specific skills the job requires? If so, is there a way you can assess these skills? Job skills testing is a terrific way to identify A players from the pool of applicants and weed out the underqualified.

Stay connected

Hopefully, in your search for the perfect candidate, you’ll meet a lot of “almost perfect” candidates. Stay connected with them because you may need them in the not-too-distant future. You can keep connected with them via LinkedIn or send them company updates. Employers that do this show they care about more than just their current employees.

Emphasize remote, hybrid and flex work

Many candidates won’t even look at job postings that require employees to be in the office 100% of the time. That’s why it’s so important to promote your company’s flexibility when it comes to where and when employees work. If you have a remote work option, let job seekers know right away. This was once a luxury, but no more. People want and expect some type of work flexibility.