How to Recruit Talent Your Organization Needs

Are you wasting time processing applications and interviewing applicants who don’t meet your business needs? Find out what you can do to attract the right people to your organizational doorstep. Make Your Recruitment Efforts an Integral Part of Your Employment Process Your company may be using the best employment practices. But they might yield poor results if your recruitment efforts don’t attract the right talent. Most companies spend a lot of time and energy evaluating job applicants. What happens if you waste your time evaluating individuals who can’t contribute to your organization’s profitability? To ensure that you hire the best people available, make your recruitment efforts an integral part of your total employment process. BizTips BizTip #1 – Adopt a marketing mindset. You’re not only competing with companies in your industry, but you’re also going head to head with other companies plugging jobs comparable to yours. You need to stand out in the crowd whenever you are advertising your job openings. Consider each of your jobs as a “product.” Then identify your target markets and do everything possible to create a positive image in the marketplace. BizTip #2 – Emphasize the job’s advantages and benefits without exaggerating. Base your employment advertising on a complete list of the advantages and benefits of the job. Mention more than compensation, vacation, and health insurance. Don’t forget to emphasize positive aspects of the job, such as comprehensive training, friendly work environment, advancement opportunities, and other appealing job conditions. Take care not to exaggerate the benefits of a job. This will only increase employee turnover in the end. BizTip #3 – Use “self-selection” techniques to attract people who will make a difference. Win over prospective employees who will contribute most to your company by letting people know your expectations. If you want individuals who are industrious, quality-oriented, and customer-friendly, communicate this up front. Don’t worry about scaring some people away. The applicants who respond to your “realistic job preview” are the ones you want anyway. BizTip #4 – Develop a “profile of success” to help you recruit employees who meet your needs. A “profile of success” essentially summarizes the most important competencies needed for a job. It is fairly easy to develop such a profile by identifying relevant “job conditions,” and translating these job conditions into the types of knowledge, skills, and traits required for success. Job conditions are aspects of work that help to define a job. They refer to existing circumstances, requirements, expectations, and qualifications regarding a job. Identifying them can be useful when developing job descriptions, recruiting applicants, designing selection procedures, and conducting employment interviews. If you understand important aspects of work that motivate people, you will be more successful in recruiting and hiring individuals who can meet all your business needs. You can quickly develop a profile of success for most hourly, non-exempt jobs by completing a free Job Condition Inventory, a business tool that provides results you can use for improving your recruitment process. BizTip #5 – Write employment ads that entice people who can actually benefit your organization. Unfortunately, most employment ads are poorly written and do little or nothing to attract high quality applicants. Such ads often suffer from being unclear, unorganized, and too detailed. And what’s worse, many employment ads totally miss the point and fail to highlight the most attractive aspects of the job. Make sure you summarize a job’s main advantages and benefits, and don’t forget to list all job requirements. Keep in mind that your main objective is to provide information that will attract people who can help your organization, and repel people who really don’t have anything to offer as an employee. Connect the Dots When Hiring All too often, organizations fail to connect the dots when developing and implementing their hiring strategies. Don't make the mistake of divorcing your recruiting procedures from your overall employment process. Keep in mind that there are two sides of the coin when it comes to recruiting individuals. The quality of your hiring decisions is contingent on using recruitment techniques that: (1) discourage unsuitable people from applying; and (2) persuade promising individuals to approach your organization for a job. Using a marketing mindset, you will be able to attract the talent you need by being upfront in communicating realistic job expectations and the unique advantages and benefits of your jobs.