In order to develop a competitive edge in talent acquisition, employers seek out alternative sources and strategies to bridge the skills gaps in their businesses.

Here are three talent sources you may be overlooking:-

Include internal candidates in your recruitment mix

One challenge all HR functions face is not just sourcing talent but ensuring the right talent is recruited and developed. In a rush to post job adverts and fill a perceived skills gap within their business, employers are at risk of overlooking a readily available talent source within their own business. For 40% of businesses, their most successful source of hire is existing talent[1] but HR is often at risk of skipping this part of the recruitment process in its haste to advertise jobs externally.

Building relationships with your employees enhances engagement and productivity. Promoting from within also sends out a positive message to your employees and helps to improve retention. The latest Job Exodus Survey from Investors In People found that nearly half of all employees intend to change jobs in 2018 and one in four are unhappy in their current role.Your business is unlikely to be immune from that. 

Developing a continuous performance management practice builds and nurtures relationships with your talent employees and ensures ongoing skills development. For businesses also considering external candidates for their vacancies, internal talent can be tagged and processed through your recruitment software to ensure an objective assessment during the hiring process.

Don't rule out a boomerang hire

Losing your high achievers is a blow for any business so it’s unsurprising that some welcome the opportunity to rehire them. So-called ‘boomerang employees’ understand your company mission, your business and your customers. It’s also likely that they have gained additional skills and experience during the time they have been away from your business.

Before adding a former employee to the shortlist for your next vacancy, consider the following:-

• Review the reasons given for leaving their job the first time around. If a lack of learning and development opportunities or a refused request for flexible working prompted their original departure, those policies need to change to ensure a more positive outcome.
• Assess why they want to return. What changes have been made in your business that makes it an appealing option again? Process your potential new/old recruit alongside other candidates in your applicant tracking software and carry out thorough background checks to corroborate their reasons for leaving their most recent employer.
• Be transparent with everyone involved to avoid a second departure. Advise your boomerang candidate of what’s changed since they left your employment -perhaps a culture shift, or a change in operational practice. Likewise, talk to the members of your team who filled the gap after your former employee’s departure to avoid any potential disruption or resentment among staff who have remained loyal to your business.
• Review the success of any previous boomerang hires in your recruitment data.

Hit the ‘refresh’ button on your social recruiting strategy

At a time of social media saturation, your social recruiting strategy requires closer attention to detail, rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach. In the ‘age of the employee’ the Aberdeen Group notes that best-in-class organisations are nearly a third more likely to recruit via social media[2] but many employers regard social recruitment as a vehicle solely for the promotion of job posts.

A well designed social recruitment strategy aligned with your employer brand provides a source of quality hires as you build relationships with the people in your talent pool. Your recruitment analytics will reveal if your existing strategy is working. To create a consistent source of qualified candidates through your social media channels:-

• Agree what you want to achieve. This may simply be to promote a better brand image or sourcing candidates with a specific skillset.
• Align your social media content with your message. In 2017, social networks saw the biggest increase in spend related to employer brand but that message needs to be consistent.
• Define your target audience. Understanding what attributes your applicants look for in their next employer should shape and influence your content. For example, job security is frequently ranked highly in job searches, while the majority of students prioritise an ethical employer.

Our previous article provides more detail and insight on how to create a social recruitment strategy that works for your business. Support your hiring process with an ATS that posts job vacancies to your preferred online recruitment channels and identifies the source of your most qualified candidates.  

Tap into your overlooked talent sources with recruitment software from Kallidus Recruit. Discover why it’s used by some of the world’s leading organisations to recruit talent. Start your 30 day free trial today.

For more information, download our Recruit brochure.

You might also like to read:-

Why Employee Referrals Should Be Your Top Source Of Hire

How To Attract Talent In A Candidate Scarce Market

Sources:-

[1] http://blog.bersin.com/and-the-highest-quality-sourcing-channel-is/

[2] http://www.aberdeenessentials.com/hcm-essentials/recruiting-best-practices-in-the-age-of-the-employee/