3 Ways to Use Micro-Recruiting to Stockpile Talent

You want top talent on your team. Even if your talent recruitment strategy has been effective, there’s still plenty of room for improvement. With micro-recruiting, you can take your talent engagement to the next level. Most importantly, you’ll be able to stockpile talent now and in the future.

Now, let’s answer some of the most common questions surrounding micro-recruiting and look at ways to use it to level up your talent recruitment.

What Is Micro-Recruiting?

A micro-recruiting strategy involves the use of personal networks, technology, data analytics, and social media platforms to identify and engage with talent. It allows you to cast a wide net for job candidates. Plus, micro-recruitment helps you find candidates who may not be actively seeking job opportunities or fall outside of your standard talent pool.

Micro-recruitment aligns with talent stockpiling, i.e. identifying and engaging talent before an immediate hiring need arises. Together, micro-recruiting and stockpiling help you keep pace with your current and future talent needs. They represent two of the most effective talent shortage strategies, too.

Why Is Micro-Recruiting Important?

Micro-recruiting can give you an edge over your industry rivals in terms of talent recruitment, retention, and engagement. Key reasons to consider micro-recruitment include:

1. You Can Speed Up Your Hiring Process.

Research indicates that job interviews are getting longer. The time it takes to identify the right candidate can be significant. Even if you commit a substantial amount of time and resources to recruit and hire a candidate, there’s no guarantee that this individual will be the right fit.

Micro-recruitment reduces your risk of poor hiring decisions. It allows you to find talent to fill specific roles across your business. When you interview these candidates, you may discover that they have exactly what it takes to thrive in a role with your company. Therefore, you can hire candidates who may be able to serve your business well now and in the future.

2. You Can Lower Your Talent Recruitment Costs.

In a recent study, researchers found that the average cost to hire someone was nearly $4,700. If you’re not careful, you risk spending big bucks on talent recruitment. Even worse, you may wind up paying top dollar for talent that falls short of your expectations.

With a micro-recruiting strategy, you can make the most of your talent recruitment budget. For example, you can create a strategy designed to help you identify talent across various online platforms. When you connect with candidates, you’ll have a good idea of what they bring to the table. If you hire a candidate, this individual is likely to deliver your desired results. Thus, you’ll have made a great hire — and gotten the best-possible results out of your talent search.

3. You Can Reduce Your Employee Turnover.

It is important to evaluate your business’ employee turnover rate regularly. A high turnover rate says a lot about your company. The rate indicates that employee morale may be low. Also, it shows that your business lacks the skills and expertise that it needs to succeed.

By prioritizing micro-recruitment, you can boost employee retention and satisfaction. You’ll be able to find job candidates who align with your business’ mission, values, and goals. These candidates will want to contribute to your team and enhance your company’s culture. Over time, these individuals can become integral members of your business. They can help your company lower its employee turnover rate as well.

4. You Can Maintain a Flexible Workforce.

The global economy is constantly evolving, and there’s no telling when your business will need to scale its workforce up or down. If you experience an increase in demand for your products and services, you’ll need to hire talent right away. Otherwise, you risk missing out on opportunities to boost your sales and revenues and grow your business.

When you micro-recruit, you’ll have access to top-notch job candidates at any time. You’ll be able to connect with candidates as soon as you have job openings. On top of that, you’ll understand what these candidates offer. This helps you hire talent and keep pace with customer demand.

5. You Can Protect Against a Talent Shortage.

If you are dealing with a shortage of talent, the consequences can be severe. In the short term, your business may struggle to stay afloat. Your company may also fall behind its industry rivals. There’s even a chance that your current employees may be overwhelmed by what you want out of them. If this happens, these employees may start looking elsewhere to advance their careers.

If you prioritize micro-recruitment, you won’t have to worry about a talent shortage. At the first sign of a shortage of talent, you’ll be able to engage with exceptional candidates. You can hire candidates as needed for full-time, part-time, and temporary roles. These candidates can become difference-makers across your staff. They’ll help you maintain your talent pool — and make sure that you won’t have to deal with a shortage of talent ever again.

How to Use Micro-Recruiting to Stockpile Talent

It won’t take long to start using micro-recruitment to stockpile talent. Many micro-recruiting options are available. These include:

1. Employee Referrals and Networking

Encourage your employees to refer job candidates to your business. For instance, your company can launch an employee referral program that rewards workers who send potential candidates your way. If you hire a referral, you and your employee benefit. The new hire enables you to have another quality staff member who is ready to work. Meanwhile, your employee is likely to appreciate the fact that he or she now gets to work with a familiar face.

In addition, promote your job opportunities through networking events. Your company can have representatives attend in-person and online networking events to represent your company. Along with this, you can keep your employees up to date about these events. Doing so allows your workers to build diverse professional networks. As your employees network, they may be more inclined than ever before to encourage people they’ve met to apply for jobs with your company.

2. Social Media

LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and other social networks make it easy to identify job candidates. Of course, anyone can publish content on social media. As such, you need to map out your social media micro-recruitment strategy accordingly.

Take advantage of advanced search features on social media platforms. Filters let you narrow your search for job candidates based on skills, qualifications, and industry-related keywords.

Furthermore, set up company accounts on social media and update them periodically. It is beneficial to publish updates on social networks about your business and any jobs that have become available.

Don’t forget to engage with relevant online communities on social media, either. Doing so allows your company to cement its status as an industry leader. When candidates look for jobs in your industry on social media, they may be likely to pursue career opportunities with your business.

3. Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Data analytics and AI are changing the hiring process for businesses of all sizes and across all industries. If your business can quickly and effortlessly gather and evaluate massive amounts of data about job candidates, you’re well equipped to make informed hiring decisions. You can also use the insights that you generate to identify micro-recruitment networks.

To get started with data analytics and AI for micro-recruitment, figure out what platforms you want to utilize. As an example, you may want to recruit talent to fill highly technical and specialized roles. In this example, you can use GitHub, Kaggle, or Stack Overflow for your data, since doing so will help you get information about candidates who meet your requirements.

Deploying an applicant tracking system (ATS) can also be beneficial. You can add resumes to your ATS and scan through them any time you want to find a candidate who has a particular skill set. This helps you speed up the process of identifying the right candidate, at the right time.

Micro-Recruitment Tips

Do not expect to hit the ground running with micro-recruiting. On the other hand, a meticulously crafted plan for micro-recruitment can make a world of difference. Here are tips to help you develop a micro-recruitment plan that delivers outstanding results:

• Focus on Skills and Potential: Look at what candidates currently offer and what they want to achieve down the line.
• Offer Training and Professional Development Opportunities: Give your current staff members opportunities to grow with your business by allowing them to enhance their current skill sets or develop new skills.
• Foster a Culture of Engagement: Communicate and collaborate with employees and job seekers to create a culture that reflects what your business is all about.
• Establish Clear Expectations: Make it clear what you want to get out of candidates and what’s expected of them if they join your business.
• Partner with a Local Staffing Agency: Find a staffing agency that understands how micro-recruitment works and will help you get the most value out of your talent recruitment and retention investments.

Micro-recruitment and stockpiling talent is rarely simple, but the team at PrideStaff is here to help you in any way we can. We offer access to job candidates in a wide range of industries. Contact us today to learn more.