How to Attract the Right Candidates to Your Jobs

Businesses are under increasing pressure to find new talent quickly and efficiently. Naturally, this means staffing professionals across the country must step up their game in order to deliver.

With so much competition for prime applicants, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to attract (and hire), the right candidates.

The good news is there are some steps you can take to improve your chances of finding the best applicant. From perfecting your job adverts, to tweaking your hiring process; here are our top tips for attracting the right candidates to your jobs.

Double check the job description. As a staffing professional, it can be difficult to attract the right candidates for a role; particularly when you haven’t had any input in the job description. This task is usually assigned to the hiring manager, under the assumption that they know exactly what they will need from a candidate.

However, this isn’t always the case. If you receive a job description that you don’t think fits the bill, it may need to go back to the hiring manager for some edits.

The best way to check if it does need changes is to look at job descriptions for similar roles. Do the skills match up? Does it require the same qualifications? Is there enough information about the responsibilities of the role?

If in doubt, look back at previous job specifications that managed to attract the right candidates. This enables you to see where your current job description might be lacking.

If you only find a few discrepancies, you can ping it back to the hiring manager for clarification. However, if more serious changes need to be made, it might be worth discussing with them in more detail.

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Identify key skills. If you feel the hiring manager has missed the mark, try to arrange a meeting to discuss the job spec in person. This enables you to address any issues face to face; rather than getting your wires crossed over email.

The first step is to run through your concerns about the current job description. Be sure to bring examples of similar job specs that attracted the right candidates to the meeting. This will help you to point out any problems with the current copy clearly and quickly.

The next task is to re-write the description with a more accurate reflection of the role. Take the time to discuss exactly what the manager needs from their new staff member.

Break down key responsibilities of the role and identify the skills, experience and qualifications required.  From here, you can rebuild the job post with the most important information at the heart of the copy.

Ensuring that your job description is a sound representation of the role is imperative to attract the right candidates. If you don’t take the time to finesse these sections of the job spec, it can make the hiring process more time consuming in the long run.

Draft a successful job advert. Once you have perfected the job description, the next step is drafting the wider job posting. A job specification may be vital for attracting candidates with the correct skills; but the remainder of the job advert is where you can make the role and company stand out from the crowd.

This section should include key information about all the perks the company  offers. Whether that’s flexible working, great discount programs or a fantastic staff social calendar; this is the place to shout about it.

It’s also important to include any opportunities for career progression; access to specialist training courses; and any mentoring schemes available to employees. The job market is becoming increasingly competitive; and publicizing these fantastic opportunities will set your role apart from the rest.

Finally, be sure to showcase the company’s culture. This is great for telling potential applicants what it’s like to work in the business; so make sure you keep it fun!

Great points to mention include after work drinks or company outings. These kinds of activities paint the business in a positive light; and will guarantee that you attract the right candidates for the role.

Test the right skills

While your job description might be finished, it doesn’t mean that you are. A great way to ensure that you hire the perfect candidate is by changing up your interview techniques.

Traditional interviews are great for getting to know a candidate personally. However, they aren’t great for testing skills such as communication, teamwork or out of the box thinking.

If you’re hiring for a job where these attributes are vital, such as a marketing role; it might be worth running a group interview.

Not only do group interviews save on time and widen your talent your pool; but they make it much easier to assess these types of skills. Set the applicants a task that would showcase these qualities, then sit back and watch how they react. By doing this you can assess which candidates work best in a team, who can think creatively and also, who can communicate effectively.

Ultimately, introducing a group interview to your typical hiring process will ensure that you attract the right candidate; as well as guaranteeing that you employ the best person for the job.

Attract the right candidates. By following the steps laid out above, you’re setting yourself up for success when it comes to attracting the right candidate.

However, it’s also important to get your job post in front of the right people. For many, this means utilizing dedicated job boards that truly understand your business needs.

This can lead to an increased number of applications and a wider pool of talent for you to choose from. Ensuring that you attract – and hire – the perfect candidate for your role.

Lee Biggins

Lee Biggins
Lee Biggins is the founder and CEO of Resume-Library.

Lee Biggins

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