21 Inspiring Recruitment Ideas for Hiring Top Talent (in 2024)
Regardless of the state of the economy, the best candidates have options and may not spend time applying for jobs. According to SHRM’s State of the Workplace Study, 69% of HR professionals indicated the most significant barrier to filling roles was a “lack of well-qualified applicants.”
This further illustrates how tough it is to find top talent for your company, especially when traditional recruitment options aren’t bringing more talent into your pipeline. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of 21 recruitment ideas to find and entice top candidates.
Contents
Ideas to optimize your organization’s (online) presence
Recruitment event ideas
Creative recruitment ideas
Ideas to optimize your organization’s (online) presence
The internet has transformed nearly everything about how recruiters find candidates and professionals search for jobs. Use this to your advantage by building your company’s online presence.
1. Gain credibility with employee testimonials
Employee testimonials or statements provide an insider’s viewpoint on the company or job, offering social proof to candidates. This type of testimonial feels personal, trustworthy, and bolsters trust in your employment brand.
Nike has successfully implemented this strategy by featuring an employee testimonial video on their website. The video showcases employees sharing their journey to working at Nike and how the company has inspired them.
2. Answer questions preemptively with FAQs
To address candidates’ concerns and encourage them to apply, consider adding a FAQ section to your website. This upfront effort is a valuable investment in enhancing the candidate experience.
For instance, on Capital One’s career page, prospective applicants can find answers to questions such as “When will I discuss compensation for a role?” and “What are Basic Qualifications and Preferred Qualifications?” By providing a comprehensive FAQ page, potential candidates gain the necessary information upfront, saving them time and effort when completing an application.
3. Outline the recruiting process
After the addition of an FAQ page, it’s also beneficial for prospective candidates to include the steps involved in your recruiting process. Not only does this offer candidates insight into what to expect, but it also aids in their preparation for the entirety of the process.
Hotjar has adeptly executed this approach by illustrating the breakdown of the process for both engineering and non-technical roles. By presenting candidates with a concise infographic, they acquire a comprehensive understanding of each section of the interview process.
Additionally, taking the opportunity to highlight any distinctive aspects of your interview process, such as a commitment to prompt decision-making, adds an extra advantage.
4. Add “day in the life” details to job postings
Once candidates have a solid grasp of the recruiting process and the company’s hiring process, giving them insights into what the role will look like in practice will get them excited about the it. Consider adding a section on the job description, which gives them an overview of what the average day may look like for the successful candidate.
AIHR has implemented this practice by providing a fun but true typical day for an employee in that role. We highlight benefits the employee can expect within the company, like enjoying a free lunch with colleagues made by our in-house chef. Focus on your unique offerings and showcase these in your job description.
5. Enable job alerts
Stay connected with potential candidates by offering job alerts that keep potential candidates informed about your company’s opportunities. With the option to opt-in, candidates can choose the specific jobs they want to hear about and receive email notifications directly to their inboxes. This beneficial feature can be easily implemented on your career site with the help of many applicant tracking systems.
6. Learn SEO for recruitment
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a marketing strategy that involves strategically using compelling keywords to achieve higher search engine rankings. By using SEO best practices and targeting specific keywords on both your Career page and within your job adverts, you can attract more possible candidates to your website.
7. Re-engage past candidates
When you have a new role, why not consider reaching out to past candidates? Since they have previously shown interest in your organization, they are likely open to hearing from you.
Begin by searching through your ATS, whether it is by running a keyword search or going through past roles. Once you have identified potential candidates, create an email campaign to get in touch. In your email, indicate that they were in the system due to a past application and inform them about the current hiring opportunity.
Additionally, you can mention that you are open to referrals, so if they are not available, they may consider recommending someone from their network. This approach allows you to leverage existing connections and engage with potential candidates in a meaningful way.
8. Ask employees to share content
While employee testimonials are powerful tools for offering social proof and establishing credibility, content created by employees can also go a long way in achieving these goals.
If you have employees who are active on LinkedIn or other platforms, encourage them to create and share relevant content or job postings. While original content is preferred, you can also provide draft examples for them to customize. This allows team members to add their own verbiage or perspective, ensuring that the content remains fresh and unique.
9. Try text message recruiting
Consider text messaging campaigns when you have a high volume of roles to fill, and emails and InMails aren’t getting the response you need. Services like Nexxt and Emissary and applicant tracking systems like Jobvite and iCIMS help you to craft and send custom messages to entice candidates to opt in and learn more about open roles.
While texting can be a great way to reach many prospects simultaneously, it’s essential to stay aware of the law. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) states that businesses must receive consent to telemarket (including via text message) and provide recipients the ability to opt-out.
10. Build a strong employee referral program
One of the best ways to find top talent is by starting with the organization’s own employees. Great people know great people, and with a robust referral program, you can encourage employees to share roles with qualified connections in their network.
Offer a meaningful reward for successful referrals (many companies offer $1000 or more for a hire) and market the program internally so all employees are aware. Consider a referral drive or contest for hard-to-fill roles to motivate everyone.
Encourage employees to consider diversity when making referrals; otherwise, you run the risk of homogeneity, as people tend to refer those who are like themselves.
11. Advertise on niche job boards
You’ve bulked up your internal career page and SEO strategy, but that doesn’t mean the roles will reach everyone. To expand your reach, try niche job boards. While you may have your ATS set to automatically post to sites like LinkedIn, Indeed, or Glassdoor, you may have overlooked plenty of other sites.
The job boards you choose will depend on the role, company, or environment. For example, if your company is fully remote, try a remote-focused job board. If you’re looking to attract folks from underrepresented demographics, consider women-focused sites like Fairygodboss or InHerSight or sites like POCIT or DevColor, which focus on tech professionals of color.
Recruitment event ideas
Whether in-person or virtual, events can be a great way to get prospective candidates to come to you. Even if someone isn’t looking for a job, events are a marketing and branding opportunity and may lead to referrals or future interest. If you’re interested in recruitment event ideas, read on for inspiration.
12. Hold a virtual job fair
If you’ve got many jobs to fill, a virtual job fair can be a helpful way to engage interested prospects and start the interview process. Introduce the company with a brief presentation and offer potential candidates the opportunity to book short time slots with recruiters.
You can also join other organizations’ virtual job fairs; companies like Handshake, for example, manage multi-company fairs for student hiring.
13. Plan a hackathon
A hackathon, which can be done virtually or in person, is a social event bringing together technical professionals to create and build products quickly. A mix of work, fun, and networking, a hackathon is an excellent way to get your company in front of prospects who may not attend job search events.
Kiwi.com organizes hackathons as a way to meet and engage talent. With events including mentorship sessions and delicious food and drinks, the company gets tech talent in the door and helps build its talent pool.
14. Plan some lunch-and-learn sessions
Has your company built something exciting or been an early adopter of new technology? Are you modernizing an antiquated industry? Teaching your process and learnings to others can be a great way to attract talent.
Order a catered lunch, appoint some presenters from your company, and market the event. Attendees will come away with a greater understanding of what sets your company apart. As a bonus, you’ll show your company as one that values continuous learning.
15. Sponsor professional development workshops and webinars
Sponsoring events is a great way to get your company’s name out there with little effort; while serving as a sponsor often carries a cost, you avoid the work of hosting or planning.
As a sponsor, your name is included on marketing collateral for the event, and in some cases, you may be afforded the chance to introduce your company and share pertinent information (like the fact that you’re hiring!). You may also receive a list of attendees you can contact after the event.
16. Host a meetup
If you have time and effort to expend, hosting a meetup allows your company to show off your office and team. Sites like Meetup.com provide opportunities for groups to create and plan get-togethers.
Group leaders are often looking for a place to hold their meetups. As a host, you can invite attendees to your office, provide refreshments, share a bit about your company, and even let the group know you’re hiring.
Creative recruitment ideas
If you’re looking for recruitment ideas that are a bit more outside the box, here are a few more to consider.
17. Crack-the-code tests
If you’re seeking technical talent, consider creating a challenge for them to solve. These tests work best when there is something that can be gamified, like, for example, asking engineers to a crack the code challenge.
Companies like Uber and Lastminute.com have found success with in-app exercises that encourage users to solve a problem, showing off their technical skills to the company. From there, users receive messages inviting them to apply for open opportunities.
18. Update your email signatures
Look to your email signatures for a simple way to share open jobs – and get your entire team involved. Adding a simple link to your signature and some copy sharing that you’re hiring gets the word out about your hiring push with minimal effort.
An email signature is also great to include additional links to content like employee testimonials, day-in-the-life pages, or information about upcoming events.
19. Host an ‘ask me anything’ session on Reddit
Reddit, a social media “network of communities where people can dive into their interests, hobbies, and passions,” has individual forms (or “subreddits”) for nearly anything you can imagine. Use this to your advantage and tap into the Reddit network.
Many subreddits host Ask Me Anything sessions for an expert or popular individual to answer users’ questions. If you’re hiring a JavaScript developer, join the JavaScript subreddit and talk about innovative ways your engineers use React. If hiring marketing leaders, try one of the many marketing-related subreddits and offer an AMA about creative marketing strategies.
20. Tap into the local scene
If your employee base has recently returned to the office, get involved with the local community. Many cities have professional organizations for young professionals and professionals of color, and local Chambers of Commerce.
Look into attending local meetups as well as sponsoring public events or festivals. If your team is distributed and remote, you can tap into any locale where employees are concentrated.
21. Advertise jobs to your customers
Candidate experience is crucial not only because candidates can become future customers, but also because existing loyal customers have the potential to be great employees.
To ensure a seamless customer relationship and prevent spamming, it’s important to be mindful of how you communicate job opportunities. There are numerous effective ways to reach out to your customers, such as adding a note on your website or app, including it in email newsletters, or creating a blog post.
Key takeaway
Recruiting isn’t a one-size-fits-all process, so you need creative recruitment ideas to land top talent. These 21 ideas provide a roadmap to navigate the challenges of finding and attracting the candidates you need.
Whether you start by optimizing your company’s web presence, connecting with candidates at events, or executing other creative marketing strategies, you’re ready to step out of your recruitment comfort zone and get your roles filled.
FAQs
While the optimal recruitment strategy for your business depends on the type of company and what you’re hiring for, you have many options. A well-built and fleshed-out careers page, using online content, and staying involved in industry communities through events and sponsorships are ideas that work well for any type of business. For in-person interactions, consider local meetups, events, and community groups. Other ideas suitable for any kind of business include requesting employee referrals and encouraging customers to apply.
Successful recruitment starts with a robust recruitment strategy and excellent candidate experience. Ensure you understand the role, the ideal candidate, and where to find them. Focus on creative ways to uncover talent and offer an excellent experience.
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