Recruiters are often faced with the challenge of wrong candidates applying to their company. And this gives them stress because they have to go through pools of CVs before they get the right one. But, how will it feel if the majority of applicants are right for the job? You will be able to get the best from the best. This article is a guide for recruiters and employers on how to attract the right candidate for a job.
The truth is that the job market is now competitive, so you have to do everything to attract the right candidate before your competition does. And this on how to go about it.
1. Create clear job ads
One of the ways of attracting the right candidate is by writing clear job ads. Make sure it is concise and pretty much shows everything that an applicant should know. Recruiters need to understand that the right candidates always read the job ads thoroughly before applying so they will know whether they are the right fit. Hence, you should make sure the ads contain the following;
- Clear job title
- Summary of the company so that the candidate will know whether they will fit into the company.
- Job description: What will be the day-to-day role of the right candidate for the position.
- Perks and benefits: be clear about the compensation that comes with the job.
Read more on how to write job ads here.
When the job ads are clear enough, the right candidate will apply for the job.
2. Post job ads on job boards
Once you have written clear job ads, the next thing is to post on job boards. Many job seekers go through job boards daily to see new opportunities that are out there. So, make use of this and post your ads on job boards. Justjobsng is a great job board that you can post your job vacancy on and you will be able to attract the right candidate.
3. Make the application process simple
Another way to attract the right candidate for a job is by making the application process simple. Many people -even the desperate job seekers- do not have time for a complicated job application. For instance, if you ask applicants to manually fill out their resumes instead of uploading the one they have, you might end up losing the right person for the job. Therefore, to attract the right candidate, make sure you make it easy and simple for applicants to apply. Even though this might make a lot of desperate job seekers apply too. But you can put a unique but simple process to make the right candidate apply.
4. Do not elongate the hiring process
You can also attract the right candidate by shortening the time for hiring. The truth is that ‘the right candidates’ are often sought after as they have the right skill required for a job. And they will not apply to only your company. So, if you take a long time during the hiring process, they might take the next offer which is probably better than yours (or not). That means you have lost them. So, always make sure that the hiring process is not long. However, you should always communicate with the applicants, if the firing process will take a while. Doing this might help keep their focus on you for a while.
5. Be Flexible
A rigid company mostly finds it hard to attract the right candidate. Therefore, you should be flexible. Many job seekers want a job that will give them a work-life balance, so companies that offer flexibility get the right candidates. For instance, let the applicants know that you offer the benefit of working remotely or telecommuting. Besides, you should be open to applicants in other geographical locations. Doing this will ensure that you have the right people applying for jobs irrespective of location.
6. Use social media
One of the ways to attract the right candidate is through the use of social media. Over the years, I have received many messages on LinkedIn to apply for one job or the other. This is exactly how the use of social media is. Every company should have a team that is majorly for social media recruiting. All they need to do is to insert specific keywords (skills) on any social media platform and search for talents in that field. After they find them, they then encourage the talents to apply for jobs in the company. This will ensure that only the right candidate applies for the job.
7. Create an employee referral scheme
You can create an employee referral scheme to get the right candidate. The truth is many people hear about job vacancies from people working in a company. So this channel is essential to get the right candidate. With this scheme, your current employee can refer candidates to apply to the company. However, before you launch this scheme, make sure that the employees know about it. Besides, there should be an incentive for the employee that brings the right candidate. This will make them post the job opening on their social media pages. Besides, if they personally know someone that can do the job, they will refer such a person.
8. Revamp the company’s brand.
Revamping the company’s brand is another way to attract the right candidate. The brand consists of the culture, value, mission, and so on. It is what people see about the company. Therefore, you should consider rebranding so that the right candidate will apply to your company. How do you do this;
- Give your website a new look: there are many companies’ websites that look clumped together. If yours falls into this category, you should give it a new look.
- Make sure your company maintains a good social media and internet presence. This will make the right candidates know that it is not a fake job.
- Also, you should subtly brag about the company’s achievements over the years. This will further showcase the strength of your company and the right candidate will want to work with you.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, some tips on how to attract the right candidate for a job. However, you should know that using only one method does not guarantee success. You need to employ two or more methods so you can be sure that the right candidate is applying for jobs in your company.
