Candidate Sourcing Strategies That Attract Today’s Jobseeker

The economy is showing signs of recovery, and if they haven’t already, soon companies will ramp up hiring. With a lack of top talent available for hire and a need for qualified candidates, recruiters need to find unique ways to attract and retain their best candidates. To stay ahead of the competition, recruiters have to put themselves in the shoes of job seekers. Below we break down three things today’s job seeker looks for in a new position and what you can do to help source and hire the right people for the right roles.

Stay Flexible

2020 was tumultuous, but one thing is certain —it showed us just how important it is to create a workplace and workforce that is nimble and embraces change. Over the last year, roughly 42% of employees were working from home. As we start to see signs of recovery and a return to our pre-COVID “normal,” recruiters need to continue to find ways to offer flexible working situations. 43% of employees say that they would like to have some availability to work remotely once their offices reopen, and 80% of all job seekers say they would overlook an entirely on-site position for one that offers a flex-work environment.

To stay competitive in the hiring space, recruiters need to offer their employees a flexible working environment.

This isn’t to say that you need to continue with a fully remote work experience. It simply means that you need to work with your employees to offer them some autonomy and freedom in their workplace. Some organizations tackled this strategy by offering flex-work solutions where employees can shape their workday to work for their lives. In some cases, this could mean working remotely for part of their week and in-office for more collaborative work or presentations.

Flexibility extends beyond the hours of operation as well. Today’s job seekers want more choice in when they complete their work as well. Some ways recruiters can weave flexibility into their workplace culture include:

• Offering unconventional work schedules — Allow employees to work during the times they are most productive.
• Allow flex scheduling — This grants employees the ability to take time off during the day for appointments or other obligations while making up the work afterward.
• Accepting flexible arrival and departure times — Gone are the days when all employees needed to start by 9 AM and be out by 5 PM. Allow your employees the freedom to dictate their own working hours (within your pre-approved timeslots).
  

Take some time to talk with your employees about what changes they’d like to keep and what they’d like to go back to before the recent disruption. By listening to their recommendations, you can help create a culture of engaged employees committed to your organizational goals.

Create An Excellent Candidate Experience

Despite a rise in unemployment due to COVID, the fight for top talent is fierce. With a surplus of openings and a lack of qualified candidates, recruiters need to find ways to create a candidate experience that is positive, unique, and attractive to job seekers. When organizations fail to create a positive candidate experience, they risk losing out on the best candidates. Not only will job seekers look elsewhere for a position, but the chances are they will share their poor experience with others, harming your employer brand and reputation.

In 2021, recruiters need to put the candidate first.

By maintaining consistent communication with candidates and actively nurturing them through your hiring pipeline, you can help create an enjoyable experience that reflects your workplace culture. One way to stay on top of your candidate experience is to lean on automation. By automating tedious and time-consuming tasks such as candidate outreach, interview scheduling, and pre-screening efforts, recruiters can spend more of their time connecting with and interviewing your top applicants. Digitization and automation have become increasingly popular within the hiring space, and in 2021, they will become a necessity for constructing an efficient and enjoyable hiring experience.

Embrace Diversity and Inclusion

Over the last year, organizations have embraced the need for robust and effective diversity and inclusion initiatives. Organizations that place a strong emphasis on DE+I efforts see higher productivity rates and a more satisfied workforce, but the need for diversity doesn’t only impact your bottom line. Today’s job seekers crave an employer who talks the talk when it comes to inclusivity and also walks the walk. 67% of job seekers say that a company’s commitment to diversity directly influences their decision to accept an offer or not.

Put simply, embracing diversity in your recruiting and hiring process can help you to attract and retain top talent.

The good news is that hiring for diversity has become easier as organizations have leaned into remote work. Without traditional hiring barriers, such as location, recruiters can now open their sourcing strategies to widen their talent pool geographically. This leads to a more unique, skilled, and diverse talent pool for recruiters to source from. By recruiting outside your immediate surroundings, you can more easily reach and accommodate workers that have historically been excluded from your sourcing efforts.

The 2021 talent marketplace is in full swing, and economic recovery is just around the corner. As your recruiting teams begin preparing for a rise in hiring, think through your strategies for engaging and attracting top talent. The competition for the best candidates will be challenging, but you can get a leg up on your competitors with the right strategies in place. Alongside your in-house team, IQTalent Partners can help you source the best candidates for your company. Our team of expert sourcers can help you find and screen candidates, ensuring you spend your time and effort connecting with the best candidate for the role. For more information about how we can help you find and hire the right people, reach out to our team and schedule your free consultation today.