Here’s a fact: Great talent is not abundant.

Here’s another fact: Most companies are running after that same scarce talent.

Yes, highly skilled candidates are hard to come by especially for technical jobs like those in information technology, engineering, or in the medical and allied medical professions. Also, great talent is going to be difficult to come by especially for firms who do not carry out a proactive approach in recruiting.

The recruitment landscape today is dramatically different than it was a decade ago. Some say the world has become flatter because of technology, but for recruiters and hiring managers, the recruitment landscape is still a rough terrain, if not rougher. Due to competition, economic uncertainty, and high costs, finding and hiring talent has become more critical. Maximizing your resources as you search for quality hires must remain your top consideration; a proactive approach to recruitment can help you maximize whatever you have now.  

A proactive approach to recruitment implies that firms should dig into databases, social media channels, job boards, job aggregators, and other non-conventional methodologies like content recruiting among others.

For employers and hiring managers who are determined to take matters into their own hands, here are the best employee recruitment practices to keep in mind.

1. Maximizing multiple sources.

Creative sourcing or pipelining entails taking advantage of multiple sources. The logic behind this is simple: While great talent is not abundant, talent is dispersed. You can’t find them all in one place.

Potential candidates, especially passive ones, are not lurking on job boards or professional networking sites like LinkedIn all the time. Hiring managers and recruiters must learn to utilize other channels like social media, resume databases, and online forums.

Hiring managers can also try other creative gimmicks like hosting an open house to allow interested candidates to know the firm better, or attending industry events to build a more extensive network. Digging deep into the web and searching for personal online sites could also help hiring managers and recruiters find great talent. Great professionals are, after all, expected to have invested on their personal brand, to begin with. It means they should, and they must be visible.

2. Being hands-on and stepping up your employer brand.

Job descriptions or comprehensive job posts alone won’t convert job seekers into applicants especially that according to LinkedIn’s Global Recruiting Trends Reports, 75% of professionals see themselves as “passive” candidates. You need to genuinely connect with potential candidates, and a terrific employer brand can help you with that.

A great employer brand will tell potential candidates what it is like to work with you. Successfully convey whatever employer brand you wish to project by being proactive. Connect with your potential candidates on all the possible touch points you have with them, i.e. social media, forums, or on your own blog sites. Never settle with job ads.

Doing the stems proposed in the first bullet of this post also helps.

3. Creating your own career site.

Create your own careers page in your own firm’s website. While you can still choose to pay for slots in job boards, having your own careers website will still give you financial benefits and opportunity cost reductions.

Take advantage of the website traffic you are getting. Some of these visitors of yours might be potential candidates. It’s important that you have a careers website they can explore. Just remember that the primary goal of having a careers website or page is to attract potential candidates, and capture and process candidate information. And most importantly, build a long-term relationship with them along the way.

4. Building a good database or pipeline of candidates.

Learn from the ants. They store food way before the rainy days come. The same principle applies to your talent pool. It is wise for hiring managers and recruiters not to wait for a position to open up before looking for a talent. The best practice is to have an existing talent pool or an ongoing pipeline of qualified candidates.

Every hiring manager or recruiters goal should be that when a position becomes available, they should at least one person in mind who is potentially fit for the job.

5. Tracking talent from start to finish.

Keep tabs on every candidate you have. Engage with them constantly through an online community, forum, or any platform anywhere. Provide support from start to finish. By doing these, you are fostering a more meaningful relationship with. In return, at the end of the day, you get a more engaged talent pool.

Ultimately, it is all about continuously improving your recruiting process. By digitizing the process and being consistently proactive, you can recruit the right employees, and ultimately, deliver better insights that inspire more strategic business decisions.