In a competitive labor market, it’s no longer enough to post a “Now Hiring” flyer in your business and wait for the applications to start rolling in. These days, businesses need to get a little more proactive with recruitment to compete for the best talent.
In my new book, “How to Hire,” I share some of the most effective ways that business owners can actively recruit job seekers. One thing I challenge business owners to do is to hire like you sell.
How much effort do you spend to acquire a customer who brings in significant recurring revenue year after year? Probably a lot! You have strategies for advertising, prospecting, closing the deal, and maintaining that relationship and brand loyalty.
On the other hand, what strategies do you use to acquire the right high-performing employee who could bring in the kind of revenue that grows your business? Do you just post an open position on a job board and hope for the best? Do you wait days to contact applicants interested in your role? You’d never do that to a customer, would you?
I recommend rethinking the way you recruit so that you’re “selling” candidates on your business the same way you’d sell to a customer. Here are some of my tips for doing just that.
Create an Attractive Job Posting
Your job posting should be more than just a list of requirements for a job, just like you wouldn’t create an advertisement for customers that simply listed out the features of your product.
A good advertisement shows your customers that you understand their needs and explains exactly how you’ll meet those needs. In the same way, your job posting should show job seekers that you understand what they want and explain how you can give it to them.
To craft a job posting that stands out and encourages job seekers to apply, consider these tips:
- Organize your job posting with clear sections and headers so that it’s easy to navigate.
- Lead with compensation and benefits early on in the posting.
- Highlight your employer brand. Tell job seekers a little about your company and what it’s like to work for you.
- Try not to scare off great candidates with a long list of requirements — include only the criteria that are most important to you.
Make It Easy to Apply
Did you know that 60% of job seekers abandon an application because of length and complexity?
Just like you want to make it as easy as possible for your customers to make a purchase, it’s crucial to keep the application process simple and easy for busy candidates.
Here are some tips:
- Don’t make job seekers “create an account” to complete an application.
- If you’re asking for resumes, don’t make job seekers type in the same information that’s on their resume.
- Pre-screen questions are great for narrowing down your applicant pool, but I recommend keeping it at two or three.
- Make sure your application is mobile-friendly.
Build Your Lead Generation System
You’ve written your job posting, and it’s up on your careers page or company website. It should be really compelling to the right job seeker. Now, you just need them to start applying, right?
Not quite. There’s still a lot of work to do! You need to promote your job posting. Here are three channels that you should use:
- Your employees
- Your customers and network
- Job boards
You may be surprised to learn that these channels are listed in order of importance. The best customers often come from referrals, and the same is true for great hires.
Start with your current employees. Let them know you’re hiring, and ask them to share the posting with their network. You can even offer an incentive, like a referral bonus, for bringing on a great team member.
Let your network know you’re hiring as well. At CareerPlug, we’ve seen great results from clients that put their open jobs in customer newsletters. Often, your customer base can be a great source of talent.
Communicate Early and Often
Job seekers are often looking at multiple opportunities at once, so you should let them know you’re interested right away. Just like in sales, you want to have a “first-to-market advantage” with your best candidates.
Candidates also like to know what to expect while moving through the hiring process. Those who are unsure of their standing with your company, or how long it might take to get hired, are more likely to drop out in pursuit of other opportunities.
Eliminate any uncertainty by keeping all candidates informed on next steps and providing a clear timeline. Building a great relationship with potential employees starts with strong communication and transparency during the hiring process.
Close the Deal
I believe that it’s important to take an active approach to hiring — just like you would when trying to make a sale. A great job posting and an easy application process will get you far, and your network can help you spread the word.
Once applications start rolling in, it’s up to you to provide a great candidate experience so that you can make the right hires. Good communication throughout the hiring process is crucial, as is a streamlined hiring process that you can move candidates through quickly and efficiently.
Keep letting your employer brand shine, and show candidates that you’re a great place to work, every step of the way. Now, get out there and close the deal!
About the Author
Clint Smith is the founder and CEO of CareerPlug, hiring software that powers the growth of over 17,000 companies. He’s also the author of the new recruitment playbook, “How to Hire.” Clint resides in Austin, Texas, with his wife Sarah and their family.
