5 strategies for your recruiting journey

There’s no one “right” recruiting strategy. Every firm will find success with different recruiting strategies because firms are located in different areas and have different firm cultures and talent needs.

Rather than trying to specify a certain path you should follow on your recruiting journey, I’ve gathered five strategies that you can use to hire top talent in your firm. Take note of these ideas and consider how you can incorporate them into your recruiting toolbox.

Branding

In terms of recruiting, branding is the process of positioning your firm as the employer of choice to a targeted group of candidates.

How do you want current and potential employees to perceive your firm? Don’t just focus on talking about your organization, mission, vision and values. While those can be a part of your brand, your messaging should focus on what potential recruits want to hear. What will make them want to work for you?

Craft your message to communicate:

• Your firm’s culture
• The unique benefits you offer
• How you treat current employees and care about the employee experience
• The impact employees have on clients, the community, etc.

Remember to answer the question, “What’s in it for me?” on your career page, social media platforms, and other elements of your recruiting process, and you’ll attract better candidates.

Leverage virtual recruiting opportunities

On-campus recruiting has been an effective way to reach new hires for years, but virtual career fairs gained traction during the pandemic and will continue to take center stage.

Video interviews are a huge component of virtual career fairs and digital recruitment events, so it’s important to keep in mind that candidates who attend these events may be meeting with dozens of employers in a day. To stand out from the crowd, try to ask memorable questions. Of course, you’ll still need to ask some common questions about their background and interests. But pairing the standard interview questions with more unique conversation starters can reveal a lot about the candidate and help you stand out from the competition.

Leverage technology

Are you leaving voice mails and sending emails only to not hear back?

Eight-in-ten U.S. adults don’t answer their phone when an unknown number calls, and 14% ignore any voice mail left after not answering a call. And as for email? Most people today are drowning in it. The average inbox has 200 emails, and it’s easy for them to get caught in a spam filter or forgotten before the candidate has a chance to reply.

You may want to try a new way of communicating with candidates: text recruiting. While texting might seem unprofessional to some recruiters, it’s becoming a popular way to contact job candidates. While only 20% to 30% of emails get opened, 98% of text messages get read.

You likely won’t want to have a full job interview over text, but it’s perfect for:

• “Cold calling” candidates
• Asking a few pre-screening questions before an interview
• Scheduling and confirming virtual and in-person interviews
• Following up with candidates you haven’t heard back from

Think outside the box

Remember, permanent hires aren’t the only talent option out there. Multiple companies offer outsourced talent for busy-season and occasional projects on an as-needed basis. Best of all, these services pre-screen talent for you, so you don’t have to worry about investing in someone that isn’t qualified for the role.

Build your pipeline of passive candidates

Your business development team’s motto might be “Always Be Closing,” and your talent team’s theme should be “Always Be Recruiting.” To keep your pipeline full, you need to build connections with passive candidates.

Passive candidates are not actively looking for a new job but are open to considering new opportunities. To reach these candidates, the typical recruiting methods — posting on job boards and attending recruiting events — just won’t cut it.

The key with these candidates is to build relationships. Join alumni groups and professional networks like Young Business Professionals and Toastmasters. When you meet a great candidate who isn’t quite ready to make a change, keep them on your radar and keep your firm on theirs. Stay in touch via email, invite them for coffee a couple of times a year, or invite them to firm events. Getting them on board may take time and effort, but your efforts can pay big dividends later.

The war for talent is real, and the expansion of remote work will only increase competition for the best people. To be successful on your recruiting journey, add these strategies to your recruiting toolbox, and you’ll see better candidates come in.