Recruitment is not always as plain sailing as we would like it to be. Sometimes we receive hundreds of applications in days, while other times, only two when weeks have gone by.
The reality is, there are so many variables that come into play. And these can all affect the uptake of your advert or the response to your preferred method of talent sourcing.
Here are some simple tips to implement if you are finding it difficult to hire for a niche vacancy and your conventional methods are not working.
By crafting a strategic recruitment plan, you prepare yourself and your team for the specific challenges that may occur in the recruitment process when hiring for your niche vacancy. This type of approach and planning can save time and help to avoid costly mistakes.
A strategic recruitment plan creates opportunity beyond finding a great fit for a given position: it is a chance to align company goals and skills gaps with your overall hiring initiatives. Why not then evaluate your niche vacancies in the context of the rest of the year, and consider the upcoming recruitment calendar, tracking and assessment tools you will use, as well as budget details and management strategy.
Use attractive language that highlights the benefits and rewards of working at your organisation. Use the job description as an extension of your advert rather than just listing the duties and expectations required.
Obviously, job particulars need to be included. But remember to cover company perks, benefits (e.g., free lunches, health care, paid vacation), career advancement opportunities, and interesting projects candidates can expect to work on.
What sets your role apart from the competition? A job specification can be pivotal in a candidate deciding to attend an interview for your business and will often be compared to others sent at a similar time, so make sure yours stands out from the crowd!
Lastly, make sure you are not setting the bar too high. Read the job description once more and ask yourself:
Is this job realistic? Do I know people like this who really exist?
Is this job description inviting to my target candidate? Did I mention all the benefits and perks that this type of hire will care for?
Your ideal candidate may have already applied for one of your previous vacancies. It is imperative that you have an ATS system that is not outdated. One which you can run quick and effective searches when required.
Your ATS should have sophisticated CRM capabilities built directly within the system so that you are not using another vendor to provide what your ATS can not.
Also, a good ATS system will integrate well with LinkedIn. You should automatically know if a candidate is in your ATS while sourcing in LinkedIn Recruiter. You should also be able to quickly jump from a candidate profile in LinkedIn Recruiter to a candidate profile in your ATS. And automatically import LinkedIn profiles and InMail conversations.
One of the most common issues with niche vacancies is specialisation. The perfect candidate must possess a skill set that is specific, unusual, and scarce in the general marketplace. To find this talent, lean in on more flexible recruitment methods: explore niche communities, special interest websites, and targeted online job boards. These spaces have been created to help their unique members build networks relevant to their field of speciality and is just the network you need.
Have you proactively used social media yet to recruit for your niche position? This is now a must-have tool for sourcing candidates. Using it will enable you to utilise connections through sharing. Even if the person who sees your job posting is not interested or not a good fit, they may know someone who is and share it themselves.
Remember, social media is not solely for posting jobs. Use it to proactively message and engage with those you have identified as possible employees. Use LinkedIn, Twitter and maybe even Instagram as headhunting tools. Map out your target market and coincide this strategy with your social media campaigns. By doing so, you will become aware of those suitable for your vacancy and re-approach them in the future.
Candidates want to connect with their roles beyond a pay-check and look for companies that cater to their lifestyles, interests, and values. Therefore, your employer brand is critical to attracting talent, especially for niche or difficult to fill roles.
Building a strong employer brand that communicates what it’s like to work at your organisation can help your hard-to-fill job stand out to strong achievers in a sea of other choices. Bolster your recruiting strategy with tools that connect directly with talent: employee-referral programs, dedicated brand ambassadors, social media channels, and content marketing. All great brand-building methods.
While culture fit is a must, your offering to your employees in terms of compensation is just as important. Note that modern compensation is about more than just cash — today’s job seekers display deeper interest in total rewards, and your rewards package can play a major role in building your employer brand.
Do not lose out on the best candidates because of a slow time to hire. If you show that you value your candidates’ time, they are more likely to believe that you will value them as an employee. The tool you select to underpin your recruitment strategy for hard to fill positions should significantly reduce the time to hire.
There are numerous impacts that a long hiring process can have on your business, including but not limited to:
There are also different processes in the recruiting strategy. So, for hard to fill positions, it can be difficult to find what is causing the bottleneck. For example, it could be one or more of the following factors:
Identifying the bottlenecks will significantly increase your chances of reducing time to hire. Therefore, helping you to source the right talent for your business efficiently going forwards.
So, whether the market is fiercely competitive or just an absence of talent, we hope some of these tips may make it easier for you to attract talent to your niche roles.
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