Hiring and Recruitment Strategies for the Modern Workforce

The recruiting industry has seen its fair share of hardships these past couple of years. Case in point: The Wall Street Journal reported that 50% of layoffs at tech companies impacted recruiters. But that could be turning around this year. A recent survey from Jobvite found that 86% of HR decision makers are optimistic about the future of recruiting – while 50% also expect recruiting volatility to continue. Regardless of what happens in the market, your best bet is to have a well thought out recruitment strategy that ensures your organization has the right people and skills to weather the storm.

What Constitutes a Recruitment Strategy?

A recruitment strategy is your organization’s plan for how you will attract, find, and retain talent to meet business goals. According to Indeed, “Any practice that’s specifically designed to increase recruitment potential can be considered a recruitment strategy.” So your recruitment strategy encompasses everything from employer branding efforts to direct outreach to candidates. Ultimately, you want your recruitment strategy to help spark a connection between job seekers and your company culture.

Key Components of an Effective Recruitment Strategy Plan

So you’re tasked with putting together a recruitment plan. Where do you start? Here are some components to consider:

Understanding the Target Talent Pool

What are the skills your organization needs to be successful in the next year? The next five years? Are there geographic limitations as to where you can source talent? Is your company on-site, remote, or a hybrid mix? Answer these questions and you’ll begin to paint a clearer picture of your target talent pool.

Employer Branding

Take note from BuiltIn: “Candidates and employees have an opinion about you, and if you aren’t working to influence it, you’re at their mercy.” Your recruitment strategy should include employer branding tactics like maintaining a careers page, responding to feedback on job review sites, having a strong social media presence, and building a warm, welcoming, and repeatable candidate experience.

Nailing Job Descriptions

Consider creating a template for job descriptions that establishes consistency in the recruitment process. Job descriptions can include the job title, company mission and values, required skills, salary range, job location, and other relevant details for job seekers.

Using the Right Recruitment Channels

Do some more research on your target talent pool and figure out where they’re looking for jobs. Perhaps you expect an influx of entry level roles in the organization. Are there colleges and universities you could partner with to help bring in new graduates? Are you posting on popular job boards? Do you have an employee referral program? How are you engaging with internal candidates through talent development?

Screening and Selection Process

AIHR provides a comprehensive overview of the entire selection process when it comes to your recruitment strategy – from application to interview to decision and offer. You’ll want to outline key stakeholders to include in each step of the process so everyone is clear about their role in executing an effective recruitment strategy – and to keep the process moving quickly!

Interviewing Techniques

There are many different types of interviews you might use depending on where you’re at in the recruitment process. A phone interview might work for the initial screening, whereas in-person interviews work better for final rounds. BuiltIn has some great resources on interview techniques.

Just keep in mind that interviewing is a skill that can and should be learned not only by HR and hiring managers, but also by anyone involved in the hiring process. Consider rolling out training for employees involved in the interview process so they become familiar with the types of questions they should ask and how to navigate any sensitive subjects that might come up with candidates.

Data-Driven Decision Making

What kind of recruitment data do you already have at your disposal – and what do you need to add to the mix? As noted by AIHR, using data to make recruitment decisions helps you to be more objective in hiring, reduces risk of bias, and ensures your overall recruitment process is legally defensible.

Onboarding Integration

Finally – and we believe most importantly – you’ll want to make sure there’s a seamless transition from recruitment to onboarding your new hire. You can continue building on the spark of connection you created during the recruitment process by kicking off a fun and engaging preboarding workflow that keeps new hires excited about their decision to join your team.

5 Innovative Recruitment Strategies That Work

Diversity and Inclusion in Recruitment Strategy

There are several ways you can build diversity and inclusion into your strategy and enhance workforce diversity. Take a look at your job descriptions and make sure they avoid any assumptions about the experiences a candidate might have. Write them in clear, concise, and neutral language. Build diverse interview panels so decision-making is spread across the organization. You can also consider unconscious bias training for anyone involved in the interview and hiring process.

Quit rates are at three-year low, which means you might have fewer people actively seeking new roles. By getting recruiters and hiring managers active on social media, you’ll be in a better position to connect with passive (and active) candidates on a more personal and human level.

Employee Referral Programs with a Twist

Did you know referral hires stay 50% longer than non-referral hires? High-tech engineering company Sandvik has found success by completely automating its employee referral program. By running the program through an Enboarder workflow, they received more than 50 referrals within the first few months of launching.

Collaboration with Educational Institutions

Reports suggest Gen Z is going to surpass baby boomers in the workforce this year. If college graduates are a part of your target talent pool, you can begin to build partnerships with colleges and universities specializing in the skills your company needs. Then use these tips when onboarding recent graduates.

Career Fairs and Recruitment Events

In a similar vein, do some research on local career fairs and recruitment events where you can educate candidates about available jobs and make a lasting impression IRL.

The Role of Technology in Enhancing Hiring Strategies

The talent acquisition challenge doesn’t end with the offer letter. You know better than anyone the time and effort it takes to get the right person through the door. Technology like Enboarder’s platform is the bridge that ensures all the work you put into your recruitment strategy is followed up by an engaging onboarding experience. And the best part is you can automate the entire process, from signing critical documents to sharing company information and giving new hires the chance to personally connect with their new teammates and hiring managers during preboarding.

The Ongoing Evolution of Your Recruitment Strategy

Let’s face it – the acquisition and recruitment landscape is constantly changing. Once you set up a strategy that meets the needs of your organization, you’ll want to consistently check in on the success of each of the tactics outlined above.

Here are some key metrics to track as you assess the effectiveness of your strategy:

30/90 day quit rates
Year one retention rates
Candidate pipeline
Time to productivity
Satisfaction survey results
Glassdoor ratings

With employee dissatisfaction creeping up again and many noting the end of the honeymoon phase for new joiners, companies that take the time to get to know new hires with personalized, human touches, are far more likely to attract top talent and key them for the long haul.

Learn more about Enboarder’s employee onboarding software and how we help talent and onboarding professionals enhance their recruitment strategies.