The global talent crunch is at an all-time high.
To add fire to it, with the “Great Resignation” resulting in millions of people voluntarily leaving their jobs, it’s becoming impossible to recruit skilled candidates—86% say it has become more difficult to recruit them in the last two years.
The second thing that has come to the forefront post-pandemic is a candidate’s expectations from a new job opportunity. And no, it does not stop at competitive pay packages.
Candidates are looking for remote work flexibility, better perks, and an organization’s commitment to DEI measures.
They are also looking for more purpose both in their lives and work.
With candidates being able to pick and choose who they work for, companies need to step up and rethink their hiring processes.
Top Tips for Successful Recruiting in 2022
With the widespread adoption of remote work globally, a few things have become the norm. Tips for better hiring practices like using virtual interviewing tools, providing remote work options, consciously investing in diversity and inclusion, or creating a good workplace culture are no longer “secrets” to attracting top talent. They’ve become the basic requirements for today’s workforce to even consider working at a company.
1) Personal Branding is a Must
Employer branding for companies and personal branding for HR professionals are equally important. Both serve as first impressions to the target audience—the prospective candidates a company is trying to woo to come and join them.
Simply put, the personal brand is the image that a recruiter or HR professional projects of themselves on social media. It helps create an identity that tells people they are an authority in the tech recruiting field.
Trust and credibility go a long way, and when candidates can relate to a recruiter—guess who is at the receiving end of thousands of applications pouring in?
It’s what sets anybody apart from scores of other recruiters.
Given today’s fiercely tight job market, recruiters can’t afford to not have a carefully crafted one.
2) Leverage Social Recruiting
Gen Zers, who make up the majority of the global talent, do not pick up newspapers to search for job openings. They rely on their smartphones to keep them in the loop—with the help of social media channels like TikTok, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
A report by PostBeyond shows that 82% of companies attract passive candidates via social media.
Social recruiting is a great way to find passive candidates.
They are qualified in their roles and could be the perfect match for a company looking to fill niche roles.
Searching for suitable job profiles on social media can take hours and hours out of a recruiter’s day. Instead, try the boolean search!
Hiring for niche positions or specific skill sets or passive candidates calls for using boolean strings—they make searching for qualified candidates exponentially effective.
When a majority of potential candidates are on social media, then a company’s recruiting efforts should be, too!
3) Keep Talent Pools buzzing with Layoff Lists
Hiring freezes and the post-pandemic lull is an excellent time to focus on strengthening an organization’s talent pool. And with companies issuing massive layoffs, this is the time to discuss layoff lists.
These lists are hotbeds of talent where recently unemployed candidates are eager to land a new job. Existing employees at companies laying off their people are nervous, looking out for themselves, and willing to talk to recruiters.
HR professionals and recruiters have begun circulating “layoff lists” across social media sites like LinkedIn and Twitter to help people find jobs quicker.
4) Rehire Former Employees
Rehiring former employees is a golden opportunity.
First, they are familiar with that company and culture—with how things are done, so there’s very little in the way of onboarding. The company would also know their skill set, competency, and work ethic.
They’ll bring immense value to their team and company with the skills and expertise they gained while away.
5) Positive Offboarding Process
Whether an organization wants to rehire employees who had previously worked with them or not, it’s good practice to ensure that all employees leave on a positive note. It is just as crucial for a company to maintain a good relationship with an employee who is leaving as it is with bringing a new employee onboard.
A systemized offboarding procedure helps employees feel appreciated for their time there. Also, people take brand reputation very seriously, and when ex-employees recommend a company as a good place to work, it’s usually true.
6) Revamp Hiring Regularly
The tech world changes rapidly.
There are newer technologies, advancements, and models of work that companies and their recruiting teams have to constantly adapt to.
In the face of digital disruption, sticking to hiring processes that have once worked will not yield the same results today.
Stay abreast of the curve by regularly innovating recruiting strategies, updating the tech stack, identifying creative ways to attract talent, sprucing up job descriptions to ensure they are clear, concise, and bias-free, and correcting any inefficiencies to improve the candidate experience.
On a Final Note
In a nutshell, leverage lesser-known recruiting channels like layoff lists or former employee lists to hire well-engaged and skilled candidates.
Take good care of prospective candidates and employees, even those who have left the organization—this speaks volumes about the workplace culture.
Written by Ruehie Jaiya Karri
Blogger-in-Chief at HackerEarth, Ruehie Jaiya Karri writes about the challenges of tech recruiting and how companies can improve their hiring by focusing on skills and weeding out biases. She also doles out gyaan on writing, books, and her love for baking on her personal Twitter.
