It’s a real challenge to find new candidates for your company or business, especially today when the demand for talented IT experts is huge. As a recruitment agency, we summed up our experience and created some tips that will make this task easier for you:
1. Make Use of the Communities on Social Media
Online networks offer different groups and communities where IT experts share their interests, knowledge, and technologies they use. There are also subcategories, such as “Javascript developers”, where you can narrow down your audience and place the corresponding ad for a job opening.
You can contact them directly, follow their comments or other activities, and have an insight into who might be interested in hearing more about the position. With the use of communities on social media, you can connect with the type of candidate you are looking for faster, easier, and more precisely.
2. Be a Friend To the Candidate
Getting to know applicants more closely can help you understand them better, such as their needs and expectations. Once you manage to do that, you’ll gain their trust and be able to work your way through the process.
You can be direct with them and try to get honest answers to questions such as: “What do you need? How can I help you get it? Tell me what benefits and conditions would make you happy?” Even if they end up rejecting the initial offer, you can still leave space for making a follow-up with them in the future, as you never know when they might get interested again.
3. Always Ask For a Referral
Every candidate can provide a referral, regardless if they are interested in the position or not. That’s why you should ask everyone for a recommendation, as you never know who can provide the best link to the candidate you are looking for.
You might receive an answer: “No, I don’t plan to change my job now.”, but if you ask to tell them more about the role so they can maybe think of someone who might be a fit, you could receive a very good referral or even tickle their interest if you get a chance to introduce the role in an engaging manner.
4. Make the Position Seem Like It Was Hand-Picked For the Candidate
Analyze their profiles, whether you're looking at their LinkedIn page or their resume, and identify what would make this opportunity that you have to offer appealing to them. Explain what they would gain from the role and why they would be a good match for it.
When the candidate profile contains too much information, precise attention to detail is crucial. To captivate their attention, you will need to demonstrate a legitimate interest in their skills, experience, and career goals. That is the key to establishing a genuine and personalized relationship with the candidate from the beginning.
5. Discuss Salary Expectations Right From the Start
It is vital to communicate financial expectations with your candidates early on. Whether that’s finding out a payment range that the candidate is okay with or perhaps an exact number, it will lead to a more open conversation and save a lot of time.
If you are not able to give precise information on the role budget, then you should ask the applicants to name their salary expectations. The insight will provide a clear view for both sides at the beginning of whether the company can match these.
6. Be Innovative: Make a Recruitment Video
Introduce your team, highlight the working environment, and ask current employees what they like about it. This gives an insider's perspective on the people who lead your company, a look at employees' everyday lives, and the values you hold dear.
Healthy company culture is almost as equally important as everything else that is position-related. It can attract candidates at first and later on influence their stay at the company for a very long time, rather than a short period.
7. Ensure Detailed Role-Related Information
You should address the details of the selection process early on - explain the hiring steps and how long they will take. Some candidates might refuse to do technical tasks and assessments, which is why it's best to communicate this from the start.
Changing a job can be difficult, so you should provide the candidate with as much information as possible. This will help make them familiar with the position and motivate them to consider it.
8. Build the Community Around your Profile
Social media is a powerful tool. At first, you use it to attract people and get them more familiar with your services, scope of work, etc, but after a while - it starts doing the work for you. With a strong and established page, you’ll gain organic followers and potential leads from them.
LinkedIn has a large IT community base, where you can find great talent and make your acquisitions much easier than before. It can take a while to take the hang of it, but after you manage to do it - the potential is huge!
Engage with your audience through posting industry-related news, commenting on content that others share, and writing blogs that contain useful information about what you do. Don’t forget about other networks, too, especially Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
As a recruiter, LinkedIn is the most powerful source you can use to attract applicants and get them more familiar with what you can do for them. It will take some time to build your network and become more visible, but it will be worthwhile in the long run.
Engage with your audience by posting industry-related news, open roles, and comment on content that others share, perhaps if you see that someone is actively looking for a job. The idea is for everyone to recognize you as the reliable person who can help them get closer to a dream role.