As a recruiter, finding ideal candidates can be challenging. You want to present a diverse pool of highly-qualified candidates to your hiring manager – people who are just right for the job and the company. This article explores how to attract candidates in a highly competitive job market while saving time and costs, without compromising hiring outcomes. We’ll look at what candidates love to see in a company, and share strategies to help you find people who align with your talent-attraction goals.

Key selling points to attract candidates

Top-notch candidates, the ones you’d love to have on your shortlist, can afford to pick and choose. They’ll apply if they feel enthused and excited about your opportunity, and the secret to success lies in highlighting key points that show your company is one they’d love to work for. The three features we’ll discuss next are the ones that matter most to them. 

Company culture and values

There’s more to a job than workdays and paydays. People would like to know whether they’ll feel happy and fulfilled in their jobs and whether they’ll be proud to say they’re working for a company. 

According to the World Economic Forum’s research, company values are a deciding factor for many professionals. People want to experience a sense of purpose in their work and they want to be employed by companies that share their values. 

A clear reflection of positive company culture and values may even attract passive candidates – the ones who aren’t really searching for work. Nearly 90 percent of people surveyed said they’d be willing to leave their current jobs if they believed another company would better match their personal values.

Growth and opportunities

Stagnation is not an option for the career-minded candidate. A Gallup poll found that close to 90 percent of employees said they have resigned from jobs that didn’t offer career growth opportunities. 

You don’t need to promise every candidate a path to management—and they don’t expect it. Instead, they want to know you’re offering opportunities to learn and grow in a supportive environment. Broad statements won’t cut it. People want to know how a company will go about promoting career growth and what opportunities there are. Be specific. For example, if you’re using mentoring to help employees perfect their skills, make sure candidates know about this benefit. Or, perhaps, your company keeps ahead of the curve by offering formal training opportunities and certifications. Talk about these benefits on your careers page and in your job ads.

Flexibility and benefits: an employee value proposition (EVP)

Salary transparency, specifying what salary range is being considered, should be a basic requirement for job ads. But it still isn’t a full value proposition. Prospective employees will want more detail. For example, what healthcare and retirement benefits does a company offer? Are there bonuses? How does your company promote work-life balance? Your advertisements should include these important value propositions. 

People Management Magazine reports that 77 percent of candidates value flexibility. This should come as no surprise. Flexibility will be an important criterion, particularly for people who have family responsibilities. Be clear about any benefits in this area. For example, if you can offer flexible hours, extra time off, or allow for hybrid work, candidates will be interested in these accommodations. 

How to attract diverse candidates

Attracting a homogeneous talent pool is an indication that your talent attraction strategy may be lacking and you’re limiting yourself to a specific demographic. There are several reasons why this may happen. For example, you may have inadvertently crafted a gendered-seeming job ad. Try re-crafting it using a specialised app that reduces job ad gendering. 

Most gendered wording implies a preference for male candidates, especially when high-level management roles are advertised. For example, words like “aggressive,” “ambitious,” and “competitive” are often used. These terms are perceived as more masculine and may deter female candidates. Research shows that women are more drawn to words like “supportive,” and “collaborative.” Neutral wording attracts candidates from across the spectrum. 

There’s also a strong possibility that your advertisement hasn’t been placed on platforms with a diverse readership. A job board aggregator could be the solution. Broadbean’s aggregator helps you to get exposure across state, local, and diversity-focussed job boards, tracking your progress so that you can adjust your strategy to meet your goals. 

Be aware of how imagery and gendered wording impact candidate perceptions. Your website, career page, and candidate-faced marketing sends unspoken messages. Use inclusive images depicting diverse teams and underscore your company’s commitment to equal opportunity employment and diversity. 

Last but not least, be transparent about your diversity goals. For example, PwC publishes an annual diversity report and clearly states its strategies for improving diversity in areas with underrepresentation. These initiatives and policies form part of its talent attraction strategy. 

Strategies for attracting passive candidates

Passive candidates, people who are already happy in their jobs and are not actively looking for new ones, might be ideal for the role you’re hoping to fill. Apart from being successful in their careers, a positive indicator for recruiters, they may have scarce skills you’re struggling to find in your job-seeking candidate pool. 

As a recruiter, you may already have their details from previous recruitment drives. But finding them in your database without the right tools could be hard work. Automated indexing and advanced search features will help you track them down. 

Then, there are qualified passive candidates you haven’t interacted with before. In its article on how to attract passive candidates, SHRM confirms that social media can provide fertile ground for recruiters. LinkedIn is a key platform to begin your search, but even broader platforms like Facebook and Instagram can provide effective outreach. In an even more targeted approach, you can examine professional networking forums and trade-related associations to find passive candidates.

Don’t forget to ask for employee referrals. People who are already in your organisation may have recommendations they’re willing to share – and they’ll be happy to recommend your company to their contacts. 

However you find passive candidates, you can boost engagement and interest through personalised messaging. It takes a little time, but if you’re sure you’ve spotted the ideal person for a role, addressing them as an individual increases your chances of gaining a valuable applicant.

Candidate attraction strategies

We’ve already touched on the importance of a well-crafted job posting as a key candidate attraction strategy, and we’ve mentioned social media strategies that help you reach passive candidates. Targeted advertising on social media spreads your net wider, gaining your job posting exposure with both active and passive candidates. 

Employee testimonials are the ultimate in social proof. After all, who better to speak about what it’s like working for you than your employees? Encourage employees to post reviews on Glassdoor, and be sure to highlight your company’s track record as a workplace everyone would love to call their own. 

At the same time, don’t forget what’s in your metaphorical backyard. Your careers page may be the first place candidates visit after seeing a job posting. Optimise it for talent attraction, and a seamless candidate experience. 

Long-term talent attraction in recruitment

Your talent attraction strategies can become a long-term asset that draws applicants you want to hire. A few extra tips to make talent attraction easier:

Fill your talent pipeline

Build a strong pipeline for future roles. That means attracting candidates even when you don’t have roles to fill. Be transparent about this. For example, many companies list the skills they generally search for and encourage visitors to their career page to leave their details for future reference. If candidates are interested in your company, they’ll appreciate the chance to stay on your radar.. 

Networking is another way to fill your recruitment pipeline. Get to know talented people in your industry – and remember up-and-comers like promising students, interns, or trainees. Stay in touch with them. A little relationship-building can go a long way. 

Enhance candidate experiences

When your talent attraction strategies are effective, they’re productive of a list of ideal candidates. Not all of them will get the jobs you’re currently hiring for, but they could be the top picks next time around. 

Excellent candidate experiences are the result of HR professionalism. Details like following through with clear, timely, and professional communication makes candidates feel valued and creates a positive impression for your company. They’ll be eager to make the cut next time you’re in search of the right people for a role. 

As for the candidates you ultimately hire, their first impressions of your company are formed during recruitment. Ensure that their experiences, all the way through to onboarding, are positive so that they’re ready to celebrate landing a role with your company. As a bonus, they’ll be happy to help you with referrals and recommendations when you’re in search of fresh talent. 

Use recruitment tools wisely

AI-driven recruitment platforms can save you a lot of time, freeing up capacity to focus on the human side of recruitment. Automate routine tasks like ad placement, applicant ranking and preliminary interviews, but be ready to intervene when your personal touch can enhance results. For example, it takes interpersonal skills to build relationships with candidates, and your creativity and strategic thinking should guide the recruitment process at all times.

 
Broadbean has assembled a suite of best-in-class recruitment tools that help you fill vacancies faster, more effectively, and economically. Use the time you’ll save to focus on attracting and building relationships with the very best candidates for your company. Contact Broadbean to learn how we can support your recruitment efforts.