Attract Quality Candidates: Part I – Quick Recruiting Tips

The past few years have created a candidate’s market. Recent research cites that between 30-50% of Americans plan to quit their job this year. If you’re struggling to attract quality candidates for open roles, there are several recruiting tips you can use to boost applications. 

Also, check out Part II, where we share longer-term recruiting strategies to make your company more competitive in attracting top applicants in the future.

Quick & Easy Recruiting Tips

To make these tips easily digestible and easy to implement, we’ve created three categories of quick recruiting tips to help attract quality candidates right now. 

Bonus: Download a quick & easy recruiting tips summary, click here. 

 Use Inclusive Language

This section includes five critical tips for ensuring your company is positioned as an inclusive, inviting place to work. 

Tip 1: Avoid jargon and “insider” speak.

When businesses use internal jargon or insider language in their job descriptions, they give off the impression that candidates need some insider knowledge to succeed at the organization. Pronouns aren’t the only words that send underlying messages to prospects – your overall choice of language will determine whether or not a diverse group of candidates will apply to an open position.

Example: The word “stakeholder” could signal to people of color that their contributions may not be valued. Instead, try “partners” or “collaborators.” 

Tip 2: Highlight “inclusive benefits.”

Investing in inclusive employee benefits can impact how well your organization attracts candidates and retains employees from underrepresented groups. Some inclusive benefits include floating holidays, flexible schedules, paid parental leave, and employee development. 

Example: Remote work is inclusive because it enables companies to consider a wider talent pool of people from different geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. It also allows employers to access talent who maybe wouldn’t have historically considered the organization based on location and widen access to include candidates who may not have previously been considered for traditional “onsite” positions.

Tip 3: Create neutral language regarding gender, politics, race, and religion.

The best way to write any job description is to remember that every person is a whole person — no matter how they interact with the world. By focusing on what the employee will be doing, what tools are necessary, etc., it will be easier to write in a way that helps you avoid making assumptions about prospects. 

Make content gender-neutral wherever possible, and avoid words and phrases, words, images, or situations that reinforce racial, ethnic, or religious stereotypes, including stereotypes that may appear to be positive. Note: a positive stereotype refers to a “favorable” belief held about a group of people  

Example: Common examples of positive stereotypes include women being generally warmer and collective or Asians being especially capable at mathematics.

Tip 4: Narrow down to five or fewer “must-have” requirements.

A well-known Hewlett Packard study found that women typically only apply for jobs where they meet 100% of the requirements for the role; men, on the other hand, will typically apply if they only meet 60% of them. 

Instead of listing out numerous requirements, include only what is necessary. If you know that there is some flexibility on qualifications, try using more in-line language with “nice-to-haves.” 

Examples: Replace “required” with phrases such as “familiarity with,” “some previous experience in,” and/or “basic knowledge of.” 

Tip 5: Emphasize diversity, equity, or inclusion initiatives if you have them.

According to Monster research, 86% of candidates globally say diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace are essential to them. The definition of DEI is broad, and the goal is to understand employees as individuals – honoring differences and eliminating inequalities in the workplace. DEI can help employees come to work feeling secure in being their authentic selves. It’s easy to see why organizations with strong DEI programs and a track record of employee support attract quality candidates. Plus, DEI helps companies succeed with a broader range of talent, knowledge, experience, and expertise.

Examples: Here are 12 companies focused on DEI and examples of their initiatives and policies. And, here’s an article with great information regarding building a DEI hiring strategy.

 Sell The Job

This section includes four recruiting tips to help sell your job and the benefits of your company. 

Tip 1: Be excited about your open job and your company. 

People buy ideas, opportunities, and inspiration – not products. You have to approach hiring in the same way. Simon Sinek (author, motivational speaker, and organizational consultant) said, “If you hire people just to do a job, they’ll work for your money. If you hire people who believe what you believe, they don’t need to be “managed” – they go above and beyond without telling them what to do or how to do it.” 

Example: Tell people why they’ll love working with you! This idea goes beyond things like salary and benefits. In the job description, tell candidates what their purpose will be if they join your team, describe uniques in a short company description, and share any recent awards your organization has won.

Tip 2: Share why it’s great to work for your organization & showcase your culture and uniques.

Does your company or team have something that makes it unique or special? Don’t hide it from candidates! Candidates don’t just want great pay, benefits, or even purpose – they also want to fit in. Tell candidates what it’s like to work for you and be honest.

Example: If your company culture is quiet and everyone keeps their head down, find a way to express that. If you have happy hours every Friday, say that! The goal is to find candidates who are great fits for your culture and for candidates to feel like your workplace is where they belong.

Tip 3: Read your job description out loud and ask yourself if it sounds intriguing.

Put your ‘outside the organization’ hat on. Read the job description as if you’ve never heard of your company or the role before. When you read the job description, ask yourself if you understand it, if it sounds inclusive, if you are interested in the company and the role, and if you’d want to apply. If you aren’t attracted to your job posting, what makes you think prospects will be? Then, make updates to the job description based on what you’d want to know as a candidate. 

Example: Read your job description out loud and ask others on your team to read it out loud to gain real-world feedback. 

Tip 4: Include job location expectations (e.g., onsite, remote, hybrid).

It’s worth repeating- it’s a candidate’s market. When professionals have many options in the job market, it can be tricky to stand out. Candidates want you to cut through the noise and speak to them about what they deem most important. 

Example: Job location has become a top factor, especially as more organizations move to remote work. Job location can impact if a candidate decides to apply for a role – candidates  need clear expectations like whether or not the job is entirely onsite, fully remote, or a hybrid of onsite and remote work locations.

Leverage Your Network

This section includes four easy ways to leverage your professional network to help promote your open role. 

Tip 1: Ask for referrals and sell your referral program if you have one.

According to a LinkedIn article, ​​Employee Referrals are 4x more likely to be hired, and 82% of employees rated employee referrals above all other sourcing options to yield the best ROI. Plus, there’s a bonus – your company saves money!

Example: The amount saved in productivity and sourcing costs per hired employee referral may be up to $7,500.

Tip 2: Post open roles to multiple platforms.

Gone are the days of posting to only the generic sites and your website. Many of those platforms are still important, but it can be challenging to stand out in a flooded job market. You can target your ideal talent pool by posting to specific local associations and job boards.

Examples: Here are some specific sites Celarity has used in the past: LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, The BrandLab, MIMA, Ad Fed, MnSearch, and many more. Determine where your audience is and post your open roles  in those locations. 

Bonus tip: ensure you optimize your website for Google Jobs!

Tip 3: Turn on the LinkedIn “We’re Hiring” button.

You can share an existing job post associated with your organization’s LinkedIn Page or create a new job post using the Share That You’re Hiring feature.

Example:

Tip 4: Share job postings to your network and ask people to share your open roles.

Job postings don’t need to be limited to your career page or job boards. Someone in your expanded network may be an excellent fit for the job!

Example: Post to your personal networks and ask your network to post your open roles too. If your referral program allows, you can mention the initiative to increase engagement with your sharing request. 

There is no secret sauce for attracting quality candidates but after close to 30 years in the staffing & recruiting industry, we can say that these easy to implement short-term tips will help increase your efforts. 

Celarity’s mission: Creating happy careers with meaningful connections. If you are looking for a partner to support your team, a talented professional to join your team, or have other connection needs, Celarity can help. Reach out to us today by emailing info@celarity.com or calling 952.941.0022.

Ready to hear the longer-term strategies? Follow Celarity on LinkedIn!