As soon as one role is filled, your team seems to be immediately hiring for that same role, but now from a more limited talent pool. 

It’s a common enterprise hurdle: many enterprises find themselves repeatedly hiring for the same roles – e.g. retail sales associates, food service employees, social media managers, etc. Thanks to an ongoing need to fill the same roles (albeit, often in different departments or business units), job posts may remain online for weeks or even months.

The challenge? While these added roles should equate to more opportunities for jobseekers, new posts are often overlooked – after candidates apply, they may not recognise a ‘new’ job post, particularly if the headline and job description are similar to those of a job for which they’ve already applied. As time goes on, posts can start to seem stale, garnering slower candidate engagement than earlier posts, despite being new opportunities for the same functional roles. 

If you’re consistently hiring the same functional roles or similar roles, it’s essential to differentiate posts – and to identify and activate a targeted audience of potential candidates, rather than waiting for talent to come to you. Here’s how to get started and create a dynamic funnel of qualified candidates.

1. Be proactive

One solution is for recruitment teams to be more proactive. Retain qualified candidates’ applications, and when the same/similar roles become available, immediately activate those candidates. Get in touch, one-on-one, to discuss recently opened roles, and bring in interested candidates as soon as possible.

This tactic will ensure a qualified pool of potential applicants whenever a new position opens up. To keep the pool fresh, encourage your team to follow up with these candidates throughout the year for updates so you can continually align talent with the right opportunities.

2. Create an internal talent funnel

Creating an always-evolving talent funnel is another internal best practice. Although many enterprises leaned on external recruitment during the pandemic, now is an optimal time to revisit or launch development opportunities within your organisation.

A strong learning and development (L&D) model is a major draw for potential candidates and also helps retain existing talent. According to an article published by McKinsey & Company, ‘Workers are now in charge of their personal and professional growth and development – one reason that people list “opportunities for learning and development” among the top criteria for joining an organisation. Conversely, a lack of L&D is one of the key reasons people cite for leaving a company.’

In addition, L&D can boost your bottom line. Companies in the top quartile of leadership outperform others by close to two times when it comes to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA). Companies that invest in developing next-generation leadership are 2.4 times more likely to hit key performance targets.

Although your company undoubtedly has an L&D programme, how well is it performing in terms of boosting retention and EBITDA? What are competitors doing to improve these metrics via L&D? What about leading firms in other industries? Have you surveyed your employees to learn what’s currently working, what’s not, and what’s missing from the L&D programme?

Learning-and-development (L&D) programmes can boost your bottom line

Companies investing in leadership training are 2.4 times more likely to hit performance targets.

Source: McKinsey & Company, The essential components of a successful L&D strategy, February 2019

If you’re not doing so already, direct your recruitment teams to identify and cultivate internal talent early on – from entry-level to the leadership level. Building and maintaining a funnel of high-performing, highly engaged marketing coordinators, for example, gives your team a candidate pool to explore whenever a marketing manager role opens. Better still, if these coordinators are part of an internal L&D programme that teaches new functional competencies, they’ll be well-equipped to move into these types of roles quickly, without the same potential friction as an external candidate.

Likewise, if senior-level marketers have already received leadership training, they may be ideal candidates for managerial or executive roles. And, thanks to their first-hand knowledge of past performance and potential, the internally hired employees may be more aligned with the needs and expectations of their new position.

3. Make sure new posts stand out 

Lastly, ensure jobseekers can notice new roles – even if they look the same as a job for which they previously applied. Whether posting a Sponsored Job or giving a clear indication the latest post is new, make sure candidates can quickly see what they’ve applied for and what they should apply for. This will not only help you spot very engaged candidates, but also streamline interviews and review processes – a single applicant may be a good fit for multiple roles.  

To that end, don’t be afraid to go back to talent pools for other active or recently active posts. Just because a candidate didn’t proceed with a specific role doesn’t mean they aren’t a good fit for your organisation. It’s possible their CV came in later in the hiring process, fell into an HR black hole, or they simply weren’t the top contender for the role – but could be great for a recently opened one. 

By being proactive and building a robust talent funnel, your teams will be able to fill roles efficiently and effectively – even for frequently needed positions. Tap into prior applicants, engage internal talent and don’t be afraid to get in touch with your competitors’ teams. With the right opportunities and perks, you can likely secure qualified candidates who are ready to jump into your open roles.