Piping-Hot Talent! How to build a pool of winners.

If you had a hot job become available in your company today, would you have piping-hot talent ready to start immediately?

If you’re like most U.S. employers, the answer is a resounding “no.”

Job openings continue to outpace hires. Voluntary quits are on the rise. And qualified candidates are becoming harder to recruit. So what’s the best way for your business to thrive in a tight talent market?

Build a pool of winners.

If great people aren’t knocking on your door much these days, use these tactics to continually build your talent pool:

Go to recruitment events and career fairs.

Active job seekers attend these events for one reason: they are looking for opportunities! While you’re there, speak to other employers to see if you could potentially refer candidates to one another (if they’re not right for your openings).

Keep in touch.

Great former employees. Second- and third-choice candidates you didn’t hire. Applicants whose skills/experience didn’t match your job opening. What do they all have in common? They’re all potential future employees.

Develop and automate a simple process for keeping in contact with talented people like these, so they’re warm prospects when you need them. Need reasons to keep in touch? Text or email about your open positions and job fairs, or send them holiday or birthday greetings.

Update job postings frequently.

You won’t attract fresh talent with stale job postings. Over time, they’ll get pushed down in search results and/or become inaccurate. Regularly update the content in your postings to keep pace with changes in your company and industry. In addition, systematically test copy changes, to find out what appeals most to highly qualified talent. Here are a few things to experiment with:

• Position title – try including different (relevant) keywords, shorter vs. longer titles, and creative phrasing to attract attention.
• Job description – beyond responsibilities, make sure you clearly state the skills required to do the job. Define what success in the role looks like, and add those details.
• Order of information – instead of leading with job duties, try leading with perks, a description of your organizational culture, potential career paths or other factors that are important to target candidates.

Need piping-hot talent? We can help you cast a wider net.

No matter what type of talent pool you need to build, success in today’s tight employment market requires a broader range of sourcing tools. To ensure timely access to the people you need, cast a wider net by partnering with a national staffing firm like PrideStaff. Contact us today to learn more about our On Target fulfillment process.