A2X Consulting

Finding ways to recruit for your business isn’t really that difficult. At the very least you can place public ads to let people know that you’re hiring, and there are now more ways than ever to do so thanks to the many job forums available on the internet. You no longer have to limit yourself to local job markets by posting in periodicals; you can gain access to an entire world of candidates through job-centric websites like Career Builder, Monster, and LinkedIn. And if you’re bold (or desperate) you can even turn to classified sites like Craigslist (although this crapshoot is unlikely to deliver any suitable candidates). You might also try job fairs, temp agencies, and head hunters in pursuit of the perfect hire, but if your recruiting techniques don’t seem to be delivering the caliber of candidate you’d prefer, or your hires just aren’t up to snuff, perhaps it’s time to overhaul your practices in this area. Here are a few options to consider.

For starters you should think about the venues you’re using for recruitment. If you’ve set up an internship program with a local college in order to attempt to get some of the best and brightest minds in your field coming through the door, you’d think that you’d be swimming in qualified candidates for employment. But if the kids you’re getting just don’t fit the bill, maybe you should forego the educational track and looking for applicants with a little more experience. Or if you’ve been advertising on open-forum job sites, you might want to go with a paid website that is specific to your industry instead. If candidates are willing to pay a fee just to apply for your posting, there’s a good chance they’re going to be qualified.

You should also address what you’re offering applicants during the recruitment process. If you’re not providing competitive packages, your efforts may be falling flat. Do some research if need be to find out why qualified candidates are flocking to competitors. Is it the salary range you’re offering for certain positions? Including a better benefits package, telecommuting opportunities, or other modern amenities (like a campus-style environment complete with a cafeteria and gym facilities) could be the order of the day when it comes to attracting the interest of job-seekers that will bring more to your business.

Of course, getting people in the door is one thing; finding the right fit for your company is something else entirely. Here you may need to tighten up your interview process. You can start by instituting policies to streamline interviews so that all HR personnel have a basic script to follow. From there you should strive to include questions that aren’t so run-of-the-mill that every applicant already has a rehearsed answer. You might also consider utilizing any number of tests to help weed out inappropriate candidates. Testing for skills (typing, program knowledge, etc.) and drugs are pretty standard, but some companies now include personality tests (like Briggs-Myers) to see if applicants are a good fit for their environment.

You may be keen to hire outside experts to manage the recruitment process for you (like Yellow Cat Media recruitment agency, for example). But you might be surprised to learn that by simply changing up your tactics, providing competitive offers, and streamlining your interviews you can secure better applicants and find the perfect employees on your own.