1.) Invest time in establishing relationships with your candidates. It is important to get to know their work, inside out and backwards. Ask questions about how they got to where they are today and what’s their favorite aspect of their job.
2.) Become well versed in the terminology used in the candidates industry. This will assist you when matching keywords and phrases listed on their resume & job descriptions.
3.) Even if a candidate is not looking for a new job, ask them if they may be interested in a job posting you have seen online. The best candidates to reach are the ones that are not actively pursuing new opportunities. These candidates are more attractive to employers as they usually have longer stints of employment which shows a good work ethic. If the job listing does spark interest, find out what motivates them. This may be financial or the possibility of moving into a management role. Either way, set the hook early and often.
4.) At times it may be uncomfortable to ask a friend or colleague how much they currently make. A good way to approach this would be to find a job description which has a salary listed and advise you saw the listing for “X” amount of dollars. If their ears perk up, you are on the right track and you just found your target salary.
5.) The biggest key factor in recruiting is to build your candidate pool. By building your database you’ll be able to present more candidates in a variety of different industries.
6.) Make sure the candidate has a relevant background pertaining to a specific job. For example, a field service technician that works on ATM machines is not the same as a field service technician that works on industrial robots. This is where understanding the candidates industry terminology comes into play.
7.) If the position you are trying to fill requires a degree you’ll want to first make sure that your candidate has the degree. If they do have the required degree it is imperative that it is listed on their resume.
8.) Use digital marketing techniques and social media to share jobs with your friends, family and colleagues. Make sure to include your email address while sharing your jobs so they can send their resume directly to you.
9.) If you have the ability to do so, invest in an applicant tracking system. There are several options available online which can make your recruitment process much easier. With the right applicant tracking system you can target specific keywords, locations & salaries of your prospective candidates. It is important to keep track of your notes so you know which positions you have already presented to your candidates.
10.) Have your candidates tailor their resume for the job description in which they are applying. A useful tool that both recruiters and job seekers can use is “resunate”. This service gives a resume a score based on a given job description to make it more relevant in the eyes of the employer.