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New creative recruitment methods can improve hiring

By Daniil Filipenco Aug 20, 2021

New creative recruitment methods can improve hiring

To be able to spot hidden talent, a company should pay more attention to the new screening methods available such as video interviews and creative recruitment approaches, and also implement various sourcing strategies rather than following the same old steps when connecting with potential employees which can make the whole recruitment process somewhat dull.

Statistics state that about 95% of recruiters make use of LinkedIn with 50% still asking each candidate for a cover letter even though only about a quarter of these are ever read. Although old-style recruitment approaches will almost certainly still be used in the near future, these could be combined with new techniques, for instance, video interviews with candidates could prove to be highly effective.

What are the different types of recruitment methods?

Recruitment methods can be divided in two categories with each featuring a number of subcategories:

🔹Internal Recruitment Methods

Working with the pool of current employees to fill any vacant positions is a technique frequently used by hiring managers. In some cases, the perfect candidate may be closer than one would think.

  • Promoting deserving candidates – the transition of an employee to a hierarchically higher position which also helps avoid job stagnation.
  • Internal transfer – an employee may consider moving from part-time to full-time, move into another working area, another city, or country. Rather than leaving the firm, the employee may apply for a job in another department or a hiring manager can approach an employee who plans to move to another country.
  • Referrals – the firm asks its employees to tell their relatives and friends about a vacant position.
  • In-house job ads – a company has an in-house jobs board so its employees are aware of new vacancies they can apply for.
  • Records – this involves studying the records of employees to find those who have the potential for further training or people with an appropriate background for the vacancy.
  • Job placement and bidding – HR managers post vacancies to allow employees to put themselves forward for the same job should they be interested.
  • Informal approaches – the use of the grapevine or “informal” channels.
  • Inside moonlighting – this involves recruiting employees who are interested in a second job with the same company.

Internal Recruitment Methods Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • The candidate is already familiar with the firm’s culture and environment.
  • Offering new positions to in-house employees is proof that they are appreciated.
  • It is time-efficient with little to no delays in hiring and training.

Cons:

  • In-house politics – friendly relationships within a company can cause a hiring manager to overlook a major flaw in a candidate.
  • Lower chances of benefiting from new ideas – employees from outside the company can deliver outside-the-box thinking.
  • Limited choices – although the firm may have a number of experienced workers, they may not represent an ideal match for a specific position.

🔹External Recruitment Methods

Although internal recruiting does offer certain benefits, there are numerous scenarios when filling a particular position with a candidate from outside the company may be the best option. In fact, most recruiters apply external recruitment methods.

These are the most used external recruitment techniques:

  • Media advertisements – companies use advertising to find staff.
  • Employment agencies – companies that match employers to staff, eliminate unqualified workers, and find those who are qualified who can match a company’s needs.
  • Head hunters – companies hire experienced recruiters to find the talent that meets the job requirements.
  • Associations – job announcements are placed by associations to search for highly educated and trained people.
  • Employee databases – these are companies that offer a database of resumes from various applicants who are in search of a job.
  • Campus recruiting – a company sends its representative or a recruiting team to a campus to carry out interviews with potential candidates while providing them with the necessary data about the company.
  • Career events – universities and industry groups arrange job fairs where the candidates with the required skills and talent can be met in person.
  • Online recruitment – using social media and company websites.

External Recruitment Methods Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • Better conversion rate – external recruitment draws the attention of various candidates with different skills and knowledge. This considerably increases the chances of hiring the most suitable candidate.
  • Fresh perspective and new ideas – new employees can deliver outside-the-box thinking to the company.

Cons:

  • The hiring process is costly and takes longer – posting vacancies on various platforms, creating a persuasive job description, ensuring prompt communication, screening resumes, and carrying out interviews are all time-consuming and more expensive.
  • Risk of attracting irrelevant candidates since all will be unknown to the recruiter.
  • Risk of hiring candidates who have a difficult time adjusting to a new work environment and finding a common language with their co-workers. This may lead to the need for a replacement and thus a search for new candidates.

New Recruitment Methods

Modern recruiters should adapt the techniques and tools they use to the new realities of today’s society. Here are some suggestions:

  • Make use of less used platforms

One of the most popular tools for finding perfect candidates is LinkedIn but other platforms such as Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist and Instagram can be used too. For example, Instagram can be used to carry out a search using different hashtags, i.e., “#UX”.

  • Upskill in-house employees

When a job opening is extremely difficult to fill, offering a talented employee training to gain the skills required for the position should be considered.

  • Organizing the effective use of various recruiting tools

Sometimes recruiters apply several different recruitment techniques and tools which, without a concrete strategy, can make the entire process disorganized. It is important to pinpoint a way of organizing all the recruiting tools.

The contemporary competitive landscape requires the use of various recruitment methods and thinking outside the box to find the candidate that perfectly suits a certain position. Whether this involves an internal transfer or referral, using employment agencies, or arranging career events, a company and its hiring managers should quickly decide what the best option would be and experiment more by introducing new methods too. Is it better to find new employees with fresh ideas or trust and upskill existing in-house workers who are aligned with the firm’s culture? Is it more appropriate for a company to use cost-effective and time-saving search methods or an approach that facilitates strong interpersonal connections? These are the questions that every hiring manager should ask before reviewing a resume or interviewing a candidate.