There are now over 11 million open roles in the United States. Compare that to the just over 5 million people who are currently unemployed, and one thing is evident: talent acquisition (TA) teams across the nation are the underdog and are scrambling to fill open roles.
It seems like every day there’s a new article discussing strategies that TA teams can enlist to recruit talent. But these resources often miss the mark. The question is not how to simply hire more people, but rather how to hire better quality people. Individuals that are adaptable, personally aligned with your organization, and bring a multidisciplinary skillset to your team. That way, regardless of whether the economy continues to fluctuate or has a downturn as many predict, leaders can ensure they have the best talent to drive business objectives.
To hire the right person, companies must first understand what candidates really want. The best candidates choose you. They want to be seen, heard, and valued. If you don’t provide them with the red-carpet treatment, there’ll be plenty of other employer that will. Below, we’ll discuss four ways to improve the quality of your hires in 2022.
1. Utilize CRM software in outbound recruiting
As the talent market becomes increasingly competitive, outbound recruiting is becoming more and more necessary. In a collaborative research report conducted by Clinch and Talent Board, respondents reveal that outbound marketing campaigns improve the caliber of candidates, with 40% seeing a modest rise in quality of talent, and another 15% seeing a significant increase.
The report further notes that “candidate quality improves significantly — by 46% — when a CRM is used in outbound recruiting.”
Candidate relationship management (CRM) software provides an abundance of information for recruiting teams including: funnel conversion data, cost per hire, hiring manager satisfaction rates, and quality of hire metrics. CRMs are instrumental in communicating and fostering relationships with prospective talent. By implementing a CRM, teams have the ability to store important prospecting data and expedite the application process.
Better talent pipelines, easier access to candidates, and a more organized, detailed approach leads to quicker conversions from candidates to applicants — and from applicants to high value employees.
For businesses hoping to simplify their hiring process, Clinch provides a CRM solution to streamline prospecting and better track and analyze applicant data.
2. Prioritize recruitment marketing activities
Given the high pressure conditions under which TA teams are working, it would stand to reason that many are dissatisfied with their ability to effectively attract top candidates. However, when surveyed, 75% of respondents were “satisfied” or “highly satisfied” with their current sourcing capabilities.
This satisfaction is largely driven by teams who are employing proactive outbound sourcing strategies —namely recruitment marketing. In fact, the previously mentioned report found “when recruitment marketing activities were initiated, recruiters who were ‘very satisfied’ about the quality of candidates increased by 53%.”
Examples of some of the most effective recruitment marketing tactics include talent network campaigns, targeted ads, personalized and authentic content, email marketing, and text apply initiatives.
3. Proactively manage outbound sourcing
Proactive outbound sourcing initiatives are positively influencing multiple key performance indicators. The top being:
- Quality of applicants
- Hiring manager satisfaction with candidates
- Quality of hires
In fact, when it comes to the impact of outbound recruiting efforts on candidate quality, the report continues:
“More than half of our respondents say an outbound recruitment marketing campaign lifts candidate quality: 40% say quality “improves somewhat,” while another 15% say it improves “significantly.”
When asked about the various outbound sourcing methods they proactively employ, respondents list the following:
A prime example of how an organization uses outbound sourcing strategies is Bendigo and Adelaide Bank’s highly segmented and targeted approach to candidate attraction. Before employing this strategy, its hiring team was overwhelmed: with an increase in demand for positions to be filled, and a decrease in qualified applicants, proactive recruitment strategies were being neglected.
However, by utilizing Clinch’s career site builder, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank was able to offer a highly personalized, engaging candidate experience, and assess applicant data easily and accurately. After creating multiple landing pages (LGBTQI+, Diversity & Belonging, Regional roles, and more) and calls to action with the new and improved career site, they were able to capture candidate details —then rely on Clinch software to easily segment talent pipelines.
Read more: How Clinch helps Bendigo & Adelaide Bank proactively recruit
4. Let your employees do the talking
Just as recruitment marketing platforms and CRMs are driving recruiter satisfaction and improving quality of hire, leveraging employee generated content (EGC) can ensure further success for talent teams.
After implementing EGC, the amount of recruiters who were “very satisfied” with their ability to attract and source top talent increased by 27%. However, it is worth noting that at most organizations, EGC is at only 15% utilization —leaving substantial room for improvement.
Candidates want their questions answered by employees —real people, sharing their unfiltered experiences. Set the stage early to build a relationship with top talent looking to become part of your brand by encouraging current employees to share their honest experiences of life at your company.
Rally gives us a great place to start when it comes to producing impactful EGC. They recommend answering basic candidate questions. Varying slightly by industry, the information most in demand from candidates include interview tips, day-to-day employee life, opportunity for career progression, and work-life balance.
Creative and authentic EGC allows you to empower your employees to be insightful storytellers, and invites quality candidates to begin to imagine their own career journey with your company.
The takeaway
Attracting capable talent can be challenging. Hiring quality candidates can be even harder. To learn more about how you can develop a pipeline of high quality candidates and get further insights from Clinch experts, register for our webinar with the Talent Board on August 10
