Talent must be identified, recruited and onboarded properly for long-term success.
Today’s job seekers have a vastly different worldview than those of a half-century ago. So why are so many companies still using old and outmoded recruiting strategies?
Because they think they work. Writing up a job description, assessing pay based on internal payroll calculations, and running an ad might seem like enough to the right hire, at the right time, for the right cost—but is it?
Nope. In today’s market, job seekers — especially but by no means limited to Millennials — expect to be pursued. That’s especially true in areas where employment rates hover in the low single digits, or in fields such as skilled nursing and other healthcare areas where demand is sky-high, and the talent pool is limited. So, how to get and keep these people, and do it in a way that’s bottom-line oriented?
As a recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) provider, endevis has created strategies that connect employers with the right candidates when they need them. Then we help with onboarding and retention so that our clients keep that talent and build a strong and loyal workforce that helps them meet corporate goals and grow their market share. Here are some lessons we’ve learned along the way:
Hire internally when it makes sense
More employers immediately look outside their walls when a position comes open, especially if it’s upper management or c-suite in nature. That’s a mistake. Sure, you can bring in some great talent from another organization, but what about the talent you have spent years nurturing under your roof? Post openings internally — even if you don’t find the right candidate via an internal search, a side benefit is that you’ve been open and transparent, and your current staff may reward you with referrals from their network of friends and colleagues.
Don’t be the fake job poster.
To keep that pipeline filled, many companies put out false alerts for jobs that aren’t open or may not even exist. If you put something out on your website, chances are that it’s going to be crawled over by the myriad of online job-posting sites and flung out into the wider web world. Yes, you’ll get candidates. No, they’ll never hear from you because you’re not hiring for that job right now. Word gets out, and not in a good way. If you’re not hiring, don’t post.
Be willing to do the advance legwork.
All that said, it’s never a bad idea to keep an eye out for good talent. As an RPO, endevis spends a lot of time looking for these “passive” candidates, so that we can do outreach when our clients need a specific role filled. Even if someone is very happy in their current job, they usually are open to a pitch from a competitor. And if the new offer ticks a lot of boxes for them in terms of salary, growth opportunities and benefits, luring them away isn’t as hard as you might think.
Finding, hiring and keeping the best people is complicated. Even the best internal HR departments don't have all the answers, which is why so many of them work with an RPO such as endevis. We watch the market, we evaluate the trends, we see what’s working — and what isn’t — and we bring that knowledge to our clients to help them grow. Want to learn more? Let’s talk.