This is a contributor’s blogpost …

 

Recruitment is never easy. It doesn’t matter what industry you work in. It doesn’t matter what type of role that you are looking to fulfil. Finding the right person for your current vacancies can take time and effort.

 

Not only this but if recruitment is just a part of your role, then you may also be taken away from other tasks that you need to carry out. Which is not the ideal situation to find yourself in.

 

Thankfully, there are ways that you can try to make it easier to find the perfect employee. Recruitment, when done right can take you less time and less effort then you may expect. You can also look forward to having the perfect employee at the end of the process.

 

Advertise your roles in the right places

 

Not only are you looking for the right employee for your business, but they are also looking for the right job for them. This means that one of the best ways to secure those perfect employees is making sure that you are advertising in places that they are going to be looking. For example, if you have labouring jobs that you are looking for people for, then you need to make sure that you advertise on job sites that these types of candidates visit, or through an agency that specialises in these types of roles.

 

Using an agency, in particular, means that not only will your advert be seen by the right people, but the agency themselves will be able to help you to find the right talent for your role. They may have contacts in other companies that can help you to find the right person and they will know the right places to advertise to appeal to the candidates that you are looking for.

 

Don’t be afraid to be selfish

 

If you really think about it, the world of business is selfish. Everyone wants their business to be the best. Whether that is selling the most products or having the most clients, you will want to make sure that you are the top. The same can go with finding the right people for your roles. It might not seem entirely fair, but sometimes, in order to find the right people for your roles, you might need to poach them from elsewhere. After all, there is reason why those people are already employed by your competitors, so maybe they will be the perfect fit for your business.

 

Attend a recruitment fair

 

Networking isn’t always something that people want to do, however, it can be incredibly useful. Especially when it comes in the form of a recruitment fair. Recruitment fairs are a great way to recruit for several roles at once or simply to make sure that potential candidates know who you are. They can be hard work, but they are definitely worthwhile.

 

Photo courtesy of Pixabay via Pexels

 

Create a checklist of the key qualities that the perfect person for the job will have

 

It really does help when looking for the perfect employee, that you know exactly what you are looking for. One of the simplest ways that you can try to make the search that little bit easier is to create a checklist of what you would expect from the absolute perfect person for your job. Of course, there is a good chance that you won’t find someone who has all of these attributes but you can get pretty close.

 

The great thing about writing a checklist is that it won’t only help you to know whether or not someone is right for your role, but when you sit down to put it together you are going to be focusing on what it is that you need.

 

But don’t always stick to the checklist, it pays to look outside the box

 

Whilst the above point highlights how important it is to find someone who matches the key qualities, skills and abilities that you are looking for, this is only a guide. In fact, sometimes the most perfect employee can come in the form of someone who you didn’t even know was right for your role. They might not have the exact expertise that you are searching for, but the fundamental basics of what you would like in an employee can be seen. This means that with some training, they could become the ideal person for your role.

 

Use social media to promote your advertisement and encourage people to share it

 

Social media has become an all-important tool in the promotion and marketing of businesses of all sizes. It can also be incredibly useful if you are trying to recruit for a role too. Not only is social media easy to use, but it is also easy to share what you post, which means that it can extend your reach even further. Not only this but if your employees share your job advert amongst their network, then chances are that they will have like-minded friends or maybe even ex-colleagues from previous employers that will see it and send in their applications.

 

Make sure that potential employees know why it is so great to work for you and not others

 

The job market can be a competitive one, especially if there are lots of other businesses out there just like you. If you want to make sure that you secure the best talent for your company, then you need to make it clear why you are such a great place to work. Include any benefits in your job advert and make sure that any candidates that arrive for interview are welcomed in as best that they can. That way, if that perfect person is also being interviewed for a similar role elsewhere, then they will still pick you.

 

Photo courtesy of Tim Gouw via Pexels

 

Never wait for the right talent to come to you, keep your eye out for them too

 

Of course, when it comes to finding an employee you are going to have your best chances with people who apply for a role. However, that doesn’t mean that you should disregard keeping an eye out for talent too. Social media is a useful tool for this, especially Linked In, where you will often see people who match your needs pop up. Making it all the easier to get in touch with them.

 

Make the effort to communicate with candidates throughout the recruitment process

 

It can be hard to keep your candidates updated, especially if there are quite a few people on your list. However, failing to keep in touch could mean that the person is put off from taking up your job offer and they could be the perfect person for your role. You don’t have to check in every single day, no candidate would expect that, but what you can do is keep them updated on how things are going. More importantly, if you say that you are going to update them on a certain day or by a certain time. Give them a call. You might not have any news for them, but they will know that at the very least that you are still working on whether or not they will be offered the job role.

 

Remember that it will take time and never ever be tempted to rush things

 

One thing that you have to remember when it comes to recruitment is that it takes time.  It can be tempting to really rush through the entire process, especially if you really need someone in the role. But this can mean that you end up with someone who isn’t the perfect fit. It might go against your instincts but take your time. It might mean that things are a little strained within your company, but, once you have that person in place, all that time will have been worthwhile.

 

Recruitment doesn’t have to be the headache that many companies expect it to be. It might seem that you are never going to find the right person for your job, but they are out there. You just need to think carefully about what you are looking for, where you might find them and then take the time to make the most of every recruitment avenue open to you. Before long, all that effort will pay off and you will have someone working for your company that you will want to keep hold of.