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8 Unique Ways to Find Top Talent

October 22nd, 2018 6 min read

Whether you are a small business or a Fortune 500 company, hiring is an imperative part of running your business.

Unfortunately, finding top talent in today’s job market has become more competitive than ever. Gone are the days of posting a simple job ad and watching great applications roll in. Now, candidates have the upper hand. According to a recent survey, over 40 percent of employees surveyed said they plan on changing jobs in 2018. To keep up, employers will have to adopt new recruiting strategies to attract the best candidates.

To help out, we have put together a list of unique ways to find top talent:

1. Use your employees as recruiters.

In this highly competitive recruiting market, your employees may be the best place to look to for finding qualified candidates. Your employees are the ones who know what it takes to work for your company, and they want to find someone who would be a great addition to their team. Start by letting your employees know what you are looking for and incentivize if you can. Many businesses offer a referral bonus to thank employees for their help. Using your employees for recruitment may not only lead to discovering your ideal candidate, but it may also help build a collaborative work environment.

2. Look beyond your location.

Unfortunately, some of the best candidates may not live in your city… so why not broaden your location? Some jobs may not need to be done in the office and that’s where remote work comes in. Many companies and freelancers have been very successful using a remote work method and yours could too! Being open to having some employees working remotely could give your business the freedom to search for candidates anywhere they want.   

3. Go where the candidates are. (online forums, meetups, networking, social media groups)

While career and job fairs can be a great place to meet potential employees, they can feel rushed and not allow you to see the candidate’s full personality. Instead, try attending meetups and networking opportunities in your field. Be active on online forms, show up to group events, and get to know the people in your field. This could lead to meeting your perfect employee directly or making the connection that will introduce you. Use networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn to find groups and events in your field, and when you attend, be sure to let people know you are hiring!

4. Recruit from local colleges and connect with professors.

While recruiting from colleges may be competitive, it can help you discover emerging talent early, strengthen your company brand, and build relationships with universities. Start by contacting key academic departments, clubs, organizations, and faculty members in your local colleges. Let them know when you have openings and build relationships with the schools by offering to mentor students or speak at an event. These actions may take time, but they can lead to internships and public speaking opportunities that can help grow your business while giving back to the community.

5. Automate the hiring process with an applicant tracking system.

Is your company still manually sorting job applications, trying to keep up with stacks of applications or a flooding email inbox? It may be time to consider an applicant tracking system, or ATS. An applicant tracking system manages the recruiting and hiring process by posting jobs and organizing applications. Many employers use applicant tracking systems to help them simplify their recruiting efforts, saving them both time and money. These systems help widen your reach when searching for applicants and are great for getting your job ad seen by more candidates. There are many available, varying in features and pricing, so it is important to do your research and find the best applicant tracking system for your company.

6. Some of the best candidates are passive candidates.

Any recruiter knows the best candidates are often already employed, but that does not mean they aren’t worth perusing. Passive candidates, those who are already employed and not actively seeking job opportunities, can hold everything you need to fill your vacant position. While recruiting passive candidates may seem difficult, it is not as hard as it sounds. In fact, according to Hubspot, 90% of global professionals are interested in hearing about new job opportunities. Websites and social media platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn make it easy to find and communicate with passive candidates you may be interested in.

7. Check out some niche job boards.

There are many job boards out there, but the huge boards are not always best for every position and industry. Niche job boards post jobs and resumes for specific industries, skills, or locations and can be the key to finding the candidate you have been searching for. These smaller, specific job boards are great for many industries and positions, including healthcare, developers, media creators, recent college graduates, and more. Find them by doing a quick search on job boards for your industry.

8. Rethink your application/interview process.

How long has it been since you have updated your application and interview process? It may be time to think outside of the box. If you are not finding success with your typical resumes and run of the mill interviews, something needs to change. Resumes can be a great resource for learning about a candidate’s background, but they can’t tell the whole story. Consider asking for resumes in video format or having candidates submit a piece of work along with their resume.  When it comes to interviews, be sure to give the candidate a chance to demonstrate their communication and interpersonal skills that may not be shown on their resume.

Find the right talent is on the start of the employee/employer relationship. Having a great onboarding experience and talent management strategy are equally as important processes. Take the time to equip yourself with the right HR or Talent Management software to ensure that both you and your employees are satisfied and successful.

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