Best recruiting practices to excel, attract and retain top talent - Emptor

Recruiters, talent acquisition, and HR of large organizations and companies agree: attracting and retaining top talent is getting harder after the Great Resignation, a phenomenon that took over the corporate world after the pandemic. Nowadays, it is increasingly challenging, and companies need to work on their employer value proposition and branding to attract the right talent.

With that in mind, we share some of the best practices for recruiting in 2022.

Best Recruiting Practices

#1 - Go Mobile

Responsiveness in mobile isn’t just important for conversion and search engine optimization. According to studies, 70% of job seekers are searching for new opportunities on mobile.

Optimize for smartphones, tablets, and the most common screen sizes. Be empathetic. If the experience is disrupted by pop-ups, ads, and is generally not optimized for mobile, potential candidates might not engage further with your company due to a bad UX/UI.

#2 - Remote Work Stays

Hybrid, remote, and flex work is the new normal. The pandemic created the necessity for these working models. Although many companies are opting to bring back employees to offices, some have adapted to these new ways of collaboration.

Business benefits and productivity increase when employees feel flexibility. When motivated, they boost productivity and accountability. When your company establishes clear objectives and smart goals, you can trace progress through many agile SaaS tools. Companies prioritizing remote and flex work have experienced up to 137% higher headcount growth.

#3 - Look Into Your Own Advocates

Your current employees might be the source of infinite possibilities in your recruitment activities.

In some cases, your employees can help in recruitment and talent acquisition in exchange for certain benefits and rewards. Put in place a clear policy of rewards for referrals, such as:

Paid Time Off (PTO)
Bonuses
Gift cards

By simply asking your employees to share openings on their social media profiles, your pool of talent can become much larger if you tap into your employees’ networks.

#4 - Look for Candidates Who Aren’t Looking

A passive approach is simply publish and pray. Motivated companies know that the best talent isn’t necessarily looking for opportunities and must be solicited proactively.

Many studies have shown that top talent isn’t actively seeking new opportunities. When approaching someone who is already in a project or company, do so in a respectful manner. Acknowledge their loyalty and the great work they have done for many years, and be prepared with a compelling proposal that considers the benefits they already have in their current position.

Look for top performers who can have a significant impact on your company. Focus on both soft and hard skills, and ensure alignment with your vision. Explore, ask questions, and be as clear as possible to build rapport and trust. Then, inquire if they are willing to consider new opportunities.

Employer branding is what others say about your company.

A great candidate experience helps you gain advocates. Happy employees share their experiences working with your company, and a great candidate experience speaks for itself. Be aware of your social branding and your company’s reputation; it is one of your most important assets and needs to be nurtured.

Humanize Your Company Recruiting Process

Avoid friction and eliminate tedious application processes. Empathize with your candidates’ journeys. Anticipate common questions your potential collaborators might have and be clear about all the benefits and promises your company can provide.

Establish a clear follow-up process, making the most of technology:

Provide a clear candidate journey
Outline how many interviews it will take before hiring
Specify who the candidate might be interviewed by
Communicate what is expected to be delivered (e.g., a case study or a clear example of execution)
Include technical interviews
Organize cultural fit interviews
Facilitate team members’ interviews
Conduct panel interviews to present case scenarios
Establish a clear plan of action for 30, 60, or 90 days
Send automated emails addressing common candidate questions
Make follow-up calls to provide information and estimate the hiring timeline

Internal Mobility: Up-Skilling and Re-Skilling

Your next great hire can be an existing employee; internal mobility comes into play.

By leveraging internal mobility, you develop and promote collaborators who already know your product, service, and culture. These actions and strategies result in two great outcomes:

Retention: Employees who know they have room to grow and develop their skills remain with your organization.
Morale & Culture: Improvement, as collaborators feel appreciated and proud of their jobs.

Data-Driven Recruiting

Use data—not assumptions—when it comes to hiring and recruiting. By using technology, you can reduce costs, focus on the best channels to hire, and determine the ROI (Return on Investment) on your advertising spending or ROAS (Return on Advertising Spend).

Key metrics might include:

Time to hire
Days in stage
Cost per hire
Time to fill a position
Offer sent and acceptance rate

Use an ATS (Applicant Tracking System)

An Applicant Tracking System can improve your recruiting process, making talent acquisition faster and facilitating collaboration during hiring by involving many stakeholders throughout the recruitment process.

Hiring and retaining top talent might be a complicated task. However, by applying the best practices and aligning your company vision with your employee value proposition, the right talent will come to your company and bring their skill set to contribute to a greater mission. People will engage with an exciting company that takes care of them.