7 Effective Recruitment Strategies for Finding and Hiring Top Talent

Every business experiences “growing pains” at some point. As it expands, so does the demand for new employees. Still, even when you have all the resources you need, finding suitable candidates is a daunting task.

An average job ad receives about 250 applications, but typically only one candidate ends up getting hired. To keep up with the rising demand, you need to utilize as many recruitment sources as possible. 

Quantity is not the only aspect that matters, though. Knowing where to look is important, as it allows you to source candidates efficiently. For instance, some specific, hard-to-fill roles might require a deeper search, rather than a single job board post. In some other cases, you might be better off promoting and training a current employee.

In this article, we’ll examine 7 different recruitment strategies. We’ll cover internal and external recruitment, outsourcing, and many other methods of attracting talent. We’ll also touch on Workello, a solution that can streamline your recruitment process, regardless of source.

Keep in mind, these strategies are not exclusive. In fact, it’s advisable to combine different ones to increase your likelihood of success.

1) Internal Recruitment Strategies

Internal mobility is the recruitment of current employees within an organization. It has three main types:

1. Horizontal—When an employee switches to a new department, but at the same seniority level 
2. Vertical—When an employee gets promoted to a higher-level position with more responsibilities 
3. Functional—When an employee switches between projects and teams as needed

Internal hiring is often overlooked, but it has many benefits. For one, it’s time and cost-effective. You don’t need to spend much time onboarding and training them, as they’re already familiar with the company. There’s also no risk of making a bad hire.

In-house hiring boosts employee morale as well. If you enable them to grow their career, they’ll be more motivated, productive, and more likely to stay with your company. According to LikedIn’s 2020 report, companies with high internal mobility tend to retain employees twice as long as those with low mobility.

Source: LinkedIn

Employee Development

To enable internal mobility, you should invest in your employees and give them an opportunity to grow. Each employee should have a dedicated development plan. Depending on their chosen path, the plan should help them improve skills needed for their current role or a different one.

Some of the most common skill development means include:

• Career planning and consulting
• Academic consulting
• Coaching and mentoring
• Education funds

Employee development improves the employees’ performance, productivity, and engagement, which reflects positively on your business. 

This practice will prove to be especially useful when you need to hire for a specific, high-stakes position. Such a role typically requires a reliable individual, such as someone who has been with the company for a while. With some training, they can easily become the best contender for the role—better than most new candidates. 

Boomerang Hiring

Boomerang hiring is the practice of rehiring former employees. According to Harvard Business Review, it’s more common than you think, making up about 28% of all hires.

Sometimes, a company and an employee will part ways because they don’t see eye to eye. In other cases, an employee will leave in search of a better opportunity. And if it doesn’t meet their expectations, they’re likely to return to their old employer. 

Boomerang employees may not bring anything new to the table, but there are other advantages to consider. For one, they are already familiar with the company culture, so they require less training and thus lower costs. At the same time, you’re familiar with their work and know what to expect.

To facilitate boomerang recruitment:

• Make sure to end on a good note with every employee and let them know that the door is open in case they ever decide to come back 
• You can also contact them when there’s a suitable job opening for them, offering a competitive salary
• HBR suggests that you use the one-year anniversary of their leave as an opportunity to reach out and make the offer

2) External Recruitment Strategies

The most common talent acquisition method, external recruitment refers to hiring people from outside your company. It can involve active candidates, i.e., jobseekers, or passive candidates, i.e., those who aren’t looking for a job.

External hiring entails higher costs and more time than internal hiring due to the necessity of the selection process. It also comes with risks, as the new employee might turn out to be an unsuitable fit.

Still, the benefits outweigh the risks. The biggest advantage is the sheer breadth of the talent pool. Thanks to the Internet, you can reach diverse candidates from all over the world, bringing in fresh perspectives and ideas. With no location constraints, you can focus on qualifications and recruiting top talent in the industry.

Check out how the three most common external recruitment methods compare:

Job Posting

The first step to advertising your vacancy is figuring out where to do so. Research where your target demographic is and choose the sites accordingly. 

There are many different options to consider. For one, every country has its own, but there also exist international and remote job boards. Some boards cater to specific groups and industries, such as niche job boards.

Hiring ads can be free or paid. Free ads typically get low visibility. So, if you want to get them in front of as many people as possible, consider sponsoring them.

How you write your job ad can determine its success. To attract the right candidates, your job description should be:

• Clear and concise
• Free of buzzwords and jargon
• Free of typos and other errors
• Transparent about the nature of the job and benefits
• Not too general or exclusive
• Informative, providing instructions for the application process

Struggling to come up with an effective job description? Check out Workello’s vast library of professionally written, ready-to-use templates. 

Social Media Recruitment

Social media presence is a crucial aspect of any modern business. It’s quite a versatile tool. It allows you to strengthen your brand and get your message across to a great number of people. You can also network and create content to establish authority. 

Besides that, it can aid in your recruitment. Everyone’s on social media nowadays, especially young people. According to Zippia’s 2023 Report, 73% of employees aged 18 to 34 found their jobs through social media. 

As per Content Stadium, the most popular channels for recruitment are LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Depending on the site, you can recruit candidates in two ways—by promoting a job post or by searching for and contacting candidates directly with the offer.

Source: Content Stadium

Due to its recruitment-oriented functionalities, LinkedIn is the go-to channel for the majority of recruiters and candidates. It gives you an insight into the professional lives of candidates rather than their personal ones.

College Recruitment

Campus recruitment can be an excellent way to attain highly educated candidates for your entry-level roles. Here are some ideas to consider:

• Host information sessions to introduce your company and vacancies to students
• Conduct on-campus interviews and Q&As with interested students
• Sponsor and participate in job fairs, student organization and alumni events
• Hold lectures and workshops to provide value 
• Offer internships to provide students with hands-on experience and test job fit

According to Forbes, college recruitment requires additional preparation. It’s important to define your company culture beforehand. That way, you know exactly what to look for in candidates and how to identify the most suitable ones. 

Since college graduates don’t have prior experience, it’s important to simplify the process for them and guide them through it. If your hiring team is not familiar with campus recruitment, make sure to provide them with training.

3) Employee Referrals

Referrals are candidate recommendations from employees. They’re an excellent way to find talent for roles that require a specific skill set. 

Research suggests that referred candidates:

• Are more likely to accept offers and be hired
• Are less likely to quit
• Yield higher profits

Source: Zippia

Most employers include incentives in their referral programs. While this method can be effective at attracting many candidates, it doesn’t guarantee their quality. 

Referrals can be more or less personal. Sometimes, they’ll involve someone the employee knows well. Other times, the employee will know them from social media only. According to research done by Harvard Business Review, candidates with strong relationships with their referrers are more likely to end up being successful hires.

One of the possible explanations has to do with job fit. The referrer acts as a middleman—they provide valuable inside information to both parties. That allows them to accurately evaluate job fit and decide. Make sure to investigate the nature of the relationship before prioritizing the referred candidate. 

4) Talent Pipeline Development

A talent pipeline is a pool of candidates who might become employees at some point. This method isn’t so much about sourcing as it is about managing relationships. Having a pipeline of suitable candidates to turn to in a time of need can bring about faster and more affordable hiring.

Here are 4 tips to help you create and foster your talent pipeline:

1. Establish your brand—Your branding will set you apart from others and paint a picture of your company’s mission and values
2. Provide something of value—Be present on various social media channels to reach a wide range of candidates. Post insightful content to establish yourself as an authority in the industry
3. Build relationships—Add new people to the pipeline with regular sourcing efforts. Engage with potential candidates by responding to messages and comments 
4. Maintain relationships—For instance, create a newsletter campaign and send updates to those interested in your company 

5) Diverse and Inclusive Recruitment 

Although we’ve come a long way as a society, inequality and discrimination in the workplace are still prevalent. Such a complicated systemic issue requires comprehensive solutions. For employers, that means sitting down and analyzing the entire process to identify. It also needs a carefully planned diversity recruitment strategy. 

Here are some best practices to consider:

• Posting on diversity job boards
• Using inclusive language in job ads
• Partnering with diversity-oriented organizations
• Educating your employees on bias and how to deal with it
• Building a more inclusive pre-hire selection process
• Measuring to monitor progress and improve

Besides being the sensible thing to do, diversity recruitment can turn out to be profitable. According to McKinsey’s 2020 Report, diverse companies can financially outperform their non-diverse competitors by up to 36%. Other benefits include innovation through different perspectives and a stronger reputation.

Source: McKinsey

6) Remote Recruitment 

In recent years, remote work has seen an upsurge. Gartner predicts that by 2025, over 35% of employees worldwide will be remote. Although it’s not always possible, employers who can should consider switching to telework. After all, it comes with many advantages—a broader talent pool, flexibility, time and cost savings, and increased employee satisfaction.

Source: Gartner

To adapt to this change, you’ll need to adjust your recruitment process. With remote hiring, you need to pay special attention to:

• Communication—Be transparent and communicate with candidates clearly, especially those who come from different cultures and backgrounds 
• Selection—With such a wide talent pool at your disposal, you need to establish a solid assessment and evaluation process 
• Automation—Streamline your hiring process so you can successfully deal with a high volume of candidates
• Connection—When recruiting online, it can be difficult to build rapport with candidates, so recruiters need to put in the extra effort
• Onboarding—Provide support and make sure the candidate is not left to their own devices, especially in the beginning 

7) Data-Driven Recruitment 

Whatever outsourcing methods you decide on, use data to take them to the next level. Monitor performance throughout every stage of the recruitment funnel. Informed by previous experiences, create an improvement plan with measurable and achievable goals. Recruiting software such as an ATS can help you deal with all the data, so use it to your advantage.

Check out some of the most significant metrics in the table below:

Recruitment Process Outsourcing

Another way to find candidates is through a recruiting agency. Having an in-house team can be expensive, so many employers choose this route instead. 

This strategy is especially helpful for small companies that are yet to form their HR teams. After all, talent acquisition is a long and strenuous process, so it’s best to let professionals handle it and focus on tasks that are in your domain. 

In some cases, your team might not be equipped to deal with a particular situation. Here are the top 4 reasons to outsource recruitment even when you have an in-house recruiting team:

1. Specialized expertise—The agency might have more experience recruiting for specific roles or projects 
2. Wider or more specific candidate pool—Sometimes, the agency has some resources and contacts that you don’t
3. Higher than expected volume of candidates—Instead of overworking your employees and compromising your recruitment process, you might want to ask for professional help 
4. Diversity and inclusion—Hiring an agency that specializes in DEIB can help you reach your diversity goals faster

Conclusion

Understanding which recruitment strategies to employ in which situation is one of the keys to effectiveness. Depending on the role and your specific goals, some will be more suitable than others. In any case, leveraging different methods will increase your likelihood of success. 

By using a powerful tool like Workello, your recruitment process can reach maximum efficiency, regardless of chosen strategies. Collect all data and move candidates down the funnel from your dashboard. Use our expert-made assessments to narrow down your candidate pool and ultimately hire the best of the best. Automated responses and status pages keep candidates in the know and engaged throughout the process. 

Try Workello for free and elevate your talent acquisition without breaking the bank.