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Recruitment has evolved beyond the traditional methods of job postings and interviews. Companies now use creative campaigns and initiatives to not only attract top talent but also strengthen their company culture and align with core values and goals.
Here, Forbes Human Resources Council members share 12 examples of recruitment strategies that went beyond the ordinary, enhancing company culture and achieving organizational objectives. The experts also share why these initiatives worked, shedding light on the essential ingredients for successful recruitment transformations.
1. Allow Candidates To Pitch Passion Projects
Launching a "Passion Project Pitch Day" taps into creativity, passion and alignment with core values. In our experience, it worked by showcasing candidates' genuine enthusiasm, ensuring cultural fit and fostering an environment where employees' passions align with the company's mission, enhancing both culture and goals. - Kelsey Griffis, InfoTrack US
2. Invite Candidates To Experience A Virtual Day At The Job
Shortlisted candidates are invited to a virtual "culture immersion day" where they interact with current employees and experience a day in the life at the company. This engages candidates in a meaningful way, going beyond the traditional résumé submission and allows candidates to experience the company culture firsthand and self-select based on their alignment with the values. - Jade Nikolaou, SecondMuse
3. Treat Candidates With Respect
Treating all applicants, whether they join the company or not, properly is essential. There's a tendency in hiring to place everyone who doesn't convert into a full-time employee in the "candidate graveyard" never to be visited again. We instead created a community of applicants that we constantly nurture which: 1. allows us to share our mission and, 2. maintains a strong applicant pool for future job openings. - AJ Richichi, Sprockets
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4. Stress Accountability
By instilling positive accountability, employees feel a sense of ownership. They understand how they impact results which empowers them to achieve desired outcomes every day. The result is greater recognition and appreciation for their ongoing role in success. That’s a very powerful recruiting tool. - Jessica Kriegel, Culture Partners
5. Make A Commitment To Hiring A Diverse Team
For greater innovation, culture and mission-connection, companies need to hire diverse teams. Create a talent attraction and retention campaign highlighting your company's commitment to diversity and inclusion. To ensure success, be sure to showcase employee success stories. - MJ Vigil, DispatchHealth
6. Keep The Door Open To Employees Who Have Left
We developed a "Keep in Touch" program with individuals who had moved on from the organization on good terms and whom we would love to hire again in the future. A number of these individuals have been rehired a few years after leaving. When this happens, it boosts culture as people enjoy welcoming back previous colleagues and it demonstrates that we're a great company, worth returning to. - Andrea Davey, Scout Talent Group
7. Hire For Personality, Not Years Of Experience
We now look at talent profiles (granular personality assessments) before evaluating professional competencies. Someone who is a good fit with the role, team, manager and culture might not have the experience (yet), but if they aren't a match then no amount of experience or skills can make up for that. This has improved our ratio of successful hires—onboarding people who thrive, stay and perform. - Christian Møller, Zoios
8. Ask Candidates About Their Deal Breakers
We ask candidates what their deal breakers are, and we talk about how they would deal with them if those things happened. The “break-up convo” is what we call it. We also share ours: honesty, integrity, hours of work and expectations. This open communication eliminates the fear of the unknown and creates a social contract of sorts that can ease concerns on both sides of the table. - Kaitlyn Knopp, Pequity
9. Give Candidates Time To Be Immersed Into The Culture
Our firm unveiled a "Cultural Passport" initiative, immersing candidates in a month-long journey through our company's traditions, ethos and values before their first day. This participatory approach allowed them to become stewards of our culture rather than mere observers. It succeeded due to its genuine engagement and fostering a deep-rooted sense of belonging from the outset. - Joseph Soares, IBPROM Corp.
10. Hire Based On Values And Failures
We follow a value-based hiring approach where we not only ask for achievements but also failures against those values. When we base hiring on realistic, non-scripted responses to values, we identify human beings who will thrive in our company culture through good and bad times alike. We are also brutally honest about where we are not the best as a company. Transparency affords the right fit. - Vineet Gambhir, DataLink Software
11. Build A Robust Employee Referral Program
Employee referrals are still the No. 1 source of hires and account for about 30% of all hires. Since good employees know other good employees, building out a robust employee referral program has significantly impacted our recruiting efforts while allowing us to retain our core values and company culture. Furthermore, monetary bonuses for hires add an extra incentive to refer great candidates. - John Feldmann, Insperity
12. Develop A Strategic Internship Program
Our internship program focuses on bringing in recent graduates looking for their first opportunity, as well as career changers and those without formal degrees. We’ve not only helped entry-level software developers get their foot in the door and gain valuable experience but have also hired some as full-time employees and enhanced the diversity of our staff. - Lisa Shuster, iHire
