1. Build a strong employer brand
A strong employer brand is the foundation of any successful recruitment strategy. By clearly communicating your company’s culture, values and mission, you can make your organisation more attractive to potential candidates and highly qualified professionals. Start by crafting compelling job descriptions that highlight what makes your workplace unique, from growth opportunities to team achievements.
Share employee testimonials and stories that showcase your company’s culture and day-to-day experiences, helping jobseekers envisage themselves as part of your team. Highlighting unique benefits and perks can also set your company apart from competitors. Investing in employer branding not only helps to attract top talent but also reduces hiring costs and boosts employee satisfaction, making your recruitment efforts more effective and sustainable.
2. Treat candidates like customers
Whether it’s a phone screening or an in-person interview, a candidate’s first impression of your company is important. Creating a positive impression through respectful treatment and timely communication can set the tone for the entire candidate experience. Make them feel you’re as excited about getting to know them as they are about being considered for the role. One of the best recruitment techniques is to treat interviewees the same way you treat your customers.
- Be respectful of their time. Regardless of how the interview is being held, always be sure to show up on time. If you’re running late, let the candidate know as far in advance as possible.
- Be hospitable. When a candidate arrives for an in-person interview, ask if they’d like something to drink and show them where to find the restrooms. Make them feel as welcome and comfortable as possible. These actions help ensure candidates feel valued and respected during the interview process.
- Make yourself available. Provide candidates with your contact information so they’re able to reach out with questions and concerns throughout the process.
Using diverse interview panels can help reduce bias and promote fairness in the hiring process. This approach not only leads to more objective evaluations but also ensures that candidates feel valued and respected throughout their interactions with your company.
3. Use social media
Social media can be a fantastic recruiting tool and plays a key role in recruitment marketing to promote job openings and attract potential candidates. Social recruitment allows you to share a job post with your entire network, so it may be important to craft an effective job post that reflects your company culture and values.
Even if the people you reach aren’t interested in the role for which you’re hiring, they may know someone who is a good fit. Also, by sharing photos and videos from company events or day-to-day office life, you give potential applicants a glimpse into your company culture. Well-crafted job postings that use inclusive language can improve applicant quality and signal your organisational values related to diversity and equity.
4. Implement an employee referral programme
Great people usually make a habit of surrounding themselves with other highly capable professionals. While many existing employees are probably already sharing open roles with qualified contacts in their networks, leveraging their connections can expand your reach to untapped talent pools.
A well-developed employee referral programme can boost this behaviour even more, as employee referrals are a strategic way to source quality candidates who are more likely to be a strong fit for your team. By incentivising referrals with bonuses and contests, you can create excitement and further motivate your workforce to bring the best talent they know into your organisation. This can help you identify quality candidates who align well with your company culture.
5. Craft compelling job descriptions
Writing an interesting and thorough job description is important for engaging with qualified candidates, and posting job descriptions on multiple platforms helps reach a wider audience.
Here are a few tips to consider:
- Make titles as specific as possible. The more accurate your title, the more effective you will be in piquing the interest of the most qualified and interested jobseekers.
- Open with a captivating summary. Provide an overview that gets jobseekers excited about the role and the company.
- Include the essentials. Include core responsibilities, hard and soft skills, day-to-day activities and explain how the position fits into the organisation. Consider evaluating a candidate’s skills through skill-based requirements or assessments to ensure the best fit.
- Keep descriptions concise. Keeping a job description between 700 and 2,000 characters can help better focus your requirements for the new position you are advertising.
6. Make use of sponsored jobs to stand out
Because there are thousands of jobs posted to Indeed every day, job listing visibility can diminish over time. Promoting job openings contributes to improving visibility and attracting a wider range of applicants.
The best way to make sure a job posting continues to stand out is through a sponsored job. These paid listings are prominently displayed at the top and bottom of any relevant search results pages, and their placement doesn’t fall with time like free1 job listings. This can result in more high-quality applicants, including the ability to attract diverse candidates from various backgrounds.
7. Check CVs posted online
Indeed Smart Sourcing hosts millions of CVs from jobseekers across nearly any industry and location. Employers can find employees by entering a job title or skill and geographical area, and screen job candidates based on relevant experience and qualifications. You can narrow down results by criteria like years of experience, education level and more. Also, by setting up an alert, you can receive daily emails with links to new CVs that match the criteria for the positions you’re looking to fill.
- Sign into Indeed Smart Sourcing
- Conduct a relevant search
- Click ‘Get new CVs for this search by email’ at the top of the search results
8. Hire for a diverse workforce
Building a diverse workforce is a key component of effective recruitment strategies. Diversity brings together a wide range of perspectives, skills and experiences, which can drive innovation and improve problem-solving within your organisation. To reach a broader pool of candidates, leverage diverse job boards, social media platforms and employee referral programmes.
These channels help you connect with talent from different backgrounds and communities. Foster an inclusive workplace culture by ensuring your recruitment process is fair and unbiased, and use structured interviews to evaluate candidates based on their skills and potential. By prioritising diversity and inclusion, you not only attract top talent but also enhance employee satisfaction and strengthen your reputation as an employer of choice.
9. Involve recruitment managers in the process
Engaging recruitment managers throughout the recruitment process can contribute to selecting the best candidates for your team. Recruitment managers possess in-depth knowledge of the job requirements, company culture and team dynamics, making their input invaluable during the interview process.
Provide recruitment managers with training on effective interviewing techniques and keep them informed about your recruitment goals and objectives. Encourage them to participate in candidate evaluations and share feedback with the talent teams. This collaborative approach ensures a more thorough assessment of each candidate’s skills, experience and cultural fit, leading to finding the right candidate, a more efficient recruitment process and stronger teams.
10. Consider past candidates
Often, when you are recruiting for a position, revisiting past candidates can streamline the recruitment process and reduce time-to-hire. There are a few talented candidates who end up not being chosen due to timing or other external factors. When you’re recruiting for a similar position, consider re-visiting the CVs of past applicants. These candidates are already familiar with your company and may have picked up new skills and experience since you last spoke.
11. Claim your company page
Before applying to a company, jobseekers often take time to research employee reviews, salary data, benefits and more. All of this information can be found on an Indeed Company Page. By claiming your company page, you can respond to reviews, customise your page and add your branding.
Highlighting your employee value proposition on your company page can help attract candidates who are aligned with your company’s promises and benefits.
Here’s how to do it:
- Visit indeed.com/hire/company-pages and search for your Company Page.
- On the right side of your page, click ‘Claim this Company Page’.
- Click ‘Claim’ on the following page.
12. Attend industry-related meetups
While job fairs can be helpful for finding qualified candidates, attending career fairs is also important for connecting with emerging professionals and expanding your talent pool. Non-recruiting-specific events are also an excellent opportunity to meet motivated industry professionals who are eager to network and advance in their field. For example, if you’re seeking a software engineer, find a local group, meetup or association focused on software development and attend a local meeting. The most passionate professionals will quickly stand out.
Community outreach initiatives, such as partnering with local organisations or presenting at community events, can further expand your talent pool and increase your visibility among diverse candidates.
13. Include peers in the interview process
Sometimes, the best person to interview a candidate is someone already working in the same or a similar role. This employee already knows what it takes to excel in the position and can verify whether candidates have the skills and experience needed to do the job well. Also, current employees can give an accurate description of day-to-day experiences and help candidates better understand what they can expect if hired.
When it comes to finding and hiring people, you have to be persistent and willing to think outside the box. This could involve using skills-based interview questions as part of a skills-based hiring practice. By using these recruitment strategies, you can quickly discover highly qualified, passionate professionals ready to join your team.
14. Measure recruitment success
To continuously improve your recruitment process, it’s important to measure recruitment success using clear metrics. Track key performance indicators such as time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, source of recruit, and candidate satisfaction to gain valuable insights into your recruitment strategies. An applicant tracking system (ATS) can help automate data collection, streamline reporting and provide real-time visibility into your recruitment metrics.
By regularly analysing this data, you can identify bottlenecks, optimise your recruitment strategies and make informed decisions that enhance the candidate experience. Measuring recruitment success ensures your hiring process remains efficient, effective and aligned with your business objectives.
15. Focus on onboarding and retention
A successful recruitment strategy doesn’t end with a job offer. It extends into onboarding and retention. A well-designed onboarding process helps new recruits feel valued and supported, introducing them to your company culture and setting clear expectations from day one. Provide comprehensive training, facilitate introductions to team members and outline goals to ensure a smooth transition.
To boost retention, offer competitive compensation, professional development opportunities and recognise employee achievements. Fostering an inclusive and supportive work environment not only increases employee satisfaction but also reduces turnover and drives long-term business success. By prioritising onboarding and retention, you ensure that your recruitment efforts result in engaged, productive and loyal team members.
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1 Free job posting offer does not apply to certain types of job listings that do not satisfy our terms, quality standards and usage limits (e.g. to improve jobseeker experience or protect against poor quality job listings)
