The sector faces several recruitment challenges. From experience, we know that combining active and passive recruitment methods can be effective. By leveraging both methods, organisations can cast a wider net to attract a diverse pool of candidates.
Active methods
Social media is a powerful tool for increasing brand awareness and reaching out to a large audience. Organisations should have an active social media presence and use it to showcase vacancies, company culture and employee success stories.
Targeted advertising on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter can help you reach specific demographics relevant to your recruitment needs. You can tailor campaigns to attract candidates with the skills and experience you’re seeking, even if they’re not actively job seeking.
Social media also allows you to reach out to candidates directly through private messaging. Messages that express genuine interest in the candidate’s background and skills can help start a conversation and establish a rapport that may lead to further discussions.
Posting adverts on industry-specific job boards and websites can help attract candidates who are actively seeking employment. By leveraging online job boards effectively, you can reach a wide pool of candidates.
Your adverts must be clear, detailed, engaging and accurately describe the role, responsibilities and requirements. To attract suitable candidates, adverts should highlight the unique aspects of your organisation, such as its mission, values and workplace culture.
Keep your adverts fresh and relevant by regularly reviewing and updating them. Monitor their performance, track applicant response rates and make adjustments as needed to maximise your recruitment efforts.
A lot of online job boards offer paid advertising. This allows your advert to receive priority placement in search results and job alerts, increasing their visibility. This ensures that your adverts are seen by a larger pool of candidates, including those who may not actively search for jobs.
Attending industry-specific networking events, conferences or seminars can be a great way to generate and connect with candidates. These events allow you to engage with people who are already active in the field. Participating in career fairs hosted by universities, colleges or community organisations is also a great way to meet candidates.
Encouraging current employees to refer candidates can be an effective way to attract talent. Organisations can incentivise employees to refer their friends and fill vacancies. Referrals are extremely cost effective and allow you to action recommendations from your employees.
The employee referral app, Care Friends, in partnership with Skills for Care, has revealed that staff who have been referred by current employees stay for longer, and referrals see a 50% less year one attrition than the sector average. Industry norms show that employees typically refer 5% of job applicants when schemes are not promoted, yet this can rise to over 40% when this is really driven hard in organisations.
Passive methods
Online CV databases such as Indeed, Glassdoor and ZipRecruiter allow you to connect with potential candidates who are not actively job seeking but may be open to new opportunities if presented with the right offer. You can search for, and filter candidates based on specific criteria, such as skills, experience and location.
Sending personalised emails to individuals who have been identified as potential candidates involves crafting compelling messages that highlight your organisation’s mission, values and the specific reasons why the recipient would be a good fit for the role.
Reach out to passive candidates in your database who may not be actively looking for job opportunities but have expressed interest in your organisation in the past. Personalise your outreach messages to rekindle their interest and encourage them to consider new opportunities within your organisation.
Having a strong company brand can also reduce staff turnover by up to 28%. This is because candidates have a better understanding of what they’re getting into, what’s expected of them and what their life at that company will be like. Modern job seekers are looking for brands with a positive social impact and purpose.
This is why reviews are so important for your employer brand. These can be reposted onto your social media, to ensure anyone who searches your organisation can start to build trust with you.
Company reviews help jobseekers make informed decisions about whether to apply for a job at a particular company. Reviews are instrumental in educating jobseekers who are looking to start a new career or catch a glimpse into the day-to-day experience working for a given employer.
Establishing your organisation as a thought leader can attract candidates who may not even be actively looking. Passive candidates may be drawn to organisations that demonstrate expertise and innovation in the field. This can be achieved by sharing valuable content, such as blog posts, whitepapers and case studies, that address industry challenges and trends.
By utilising these methods, we are confident that the sector can address its recruitment challenges and attract candidates to fill vacancies.
What is your experience of using active and passive recruitment strategies? Leave a comment on this article or join the conversation to share your thoughts.
Jo Guy is Founder and Chief Executive Officer at AJ Recruitment.
Email: [email protected]