Hiring great employees is hard work. Even in the best of times, hiring isn’t easy. You can no longer rely on posting a job and having plenty of qualified candidates come to you. Finding these great employees requires strategic planning, creativity, and some fun search techniques. Fun? Yes, hiring can be an enjoyable process.
Here are ten ideas to get your creative juices flowing for your next employee search.
1. Be more human.
Show your face when reaching out to candidates. When you put a face to a name, people feel like they know you and are more likely to respond. Try writing your candidate’s name on a whiteboard and taking a selfie. Message the picture to them with a note that you have a job opportunity to share with them. Or, you can use a photo editing tool like Canva or PicMonkey to add the candidate’s name to your pic.
2. Give your contact information—name, email, phone number—in your job posting.
Gasp! What, give candidates a way to contact me? They will bombard me with their endless requests for status updates. I know you’re thinking you don’t have time for this. However, this makes you more human, especially if you are trying to fill a position that is difficult or highly competitive. When you make it easy for candidates to contact you may, you will easily attract the best and keep them from going to your competition.
3.Personalize your messages.
If a candidate applies for an opening or you find them from other sources, send a personalized message that shows you’ve read their application, profile, or resume. Here’s a great example. I noticed a candidate had posted on LinkedIn about an Alaskan road trip. That’s pretty cool, and I mentioned it in my InMail message. I got a response almost immediately. Trust me, your message will stand out and candidates are likely to respond.
4.Be old fashioned.
Everyone eats, right? So, put flyers in local supermarkets, coffee shops, and restaurants. We’ve all seen those flyers selling things with details at the top and tear off strips of paper at the bottom with contact information. Instead of selling your car that way, sell your jobs.
5.Use employee referrals.
CarMax® gave its employees a blue, jelly bracelet imprinted with its logo and the question, “Who do you know?” The bracelet was an easy conversation starter as well as a reminder for employees to share opportunities with people they feel would make a great team member.
6.Work your networks.
Building a candidate pool requires you to be an expert networker. Find events where your candidates are likely to be.This is one of my favorite fun search techniques. Excellent sources for finding events are Meetup.com, Facebook events, and Eventbrite. You meet people every day, so connect with those who have the attitudes and behaviors you need. I once hired a waiter who gave exceptional customer service. He became one of our highest performing employees.
7.Create job postings that answer the question ‘why you should work here’?
The unemployment rate hovers at just over 4%. This means that the best candidates already have jobs. The good news is that according to a Jobvite survey, 82% are open to new opportunities. Telling candidates why they should work for you is a great way to interest them in your company and entice them into wanting to learn more.
8.Use an alternative blog.
First Round used the blog-publishing platform, Medium, to post an opening. The blog explained how candidates would be an integral part of their vision. It created a picture in the minds of candidates about the position, so they could see themselves as a part of the company. You can even enlist your employees in writing the blogs. One company had employees interview managers for a blog post.
9.Place targeted job ads in unusual places.
Get creative with your job postings. Look at unique ways to reach your potential employees. Chick-Fil-A® gives high school teachers free sandwich cards to use as rewards for their best students. When the student redeems the card, Chick-Fil-A® starts the conversation about working for them. Another idea is to print your “help wanted” ad on your take-out containers or the bags used for customer purchases. The possibilities are endless.
10.Use Google Image search to find resumes.
Many jobseekers post resumes on sites like Slideshare, ResumUp, Visualize.me, or Visual CV. Image searches are a way to reach candidates who may be happy where they are, yet open to discussing a new opportunity. Image search is similar to a regular search. Create a Boolean string with keywords like job title, skills, and geographic keywords like city, zip code or telephone area code.
Want help with creative and fun search techniques?
- Let me be your guide. Click this link to schedule a time to talk with me.
- Read The YOLO Principle: The Ultimate Hiring Guide for Small Business. Purchase your copy here or on Amazon.com.