I’m a recruiter, and my clients who hire the best have the same 5 strategies

The author, recruiter Matt Erhard

• Many of my best clients know not only what they’re looking for, but know who they are to ensure they attract the best.
• They’re proactive and have built recruitment strategies to market their organization in a positive way.
• My best clients also follow diverse and inclusive hiring strategies to identify and remove potential biases and avoiding discriminating against qualified, diverse candidates.
• Consult with a professional recruiter to make sure you are doing everything to hire the best in this challenging market »

Recruiting top talent is one of the most important challenges facing organizations today. With uncertainty in the market due to a global pandemic, candidates are hesitant to make a change and apply for jobs. Organizations need to be strategic to recruit and retain the best people.

My clients who hire the best people leverage their strengths to attract the right person in the right role.
What’s surprising is that many organizations don’t follow a recruitment strategy at all. They have a job opening and fill it quickly without taking the time to ensure if it’s the right long-term fit for them or the candidate.

So, what is the secret to hiring the best?

Your strategy. All of my best clients share five recruitment strategies.

1. They know what they’re looking for

Look at your best employees and try to figure out why they are successful. Organizations that hire the best collect and review this data on their current employees to better understand who would make a great candidate to add to their organization.

Understanding where your best candidates come from will help drive investment into the right recruitment channels. When you get clear about what you need and have a strong “why” behind your recruitment goal, you’re given a clear target to optimize your recruitment actions around.

And for my clients who truly hire the best talent, this goal is just a starting point. After deciding what they want, they set up repeatable systems that align their actions with their goals. This is what drives real progress.

So, next time you need to hire, understand what exactly it is you need accomplished in your organization, then outline what skills and experience you need to hire for to accomplish this target.

2. They know who they are

My clients are competing for the best candidates in the market. So it’s important to distinguish yourself from the competition. Ensure you set out an honest positioning of your organization’s mission and culture. Your mission should define what your purpose is and must reflect your organization’s commitment to the community you serve.

My clients ensure their employees (and candidates they interview) are knowledgeable and supportive of their mission. According to Forbes, “connection to the mission is commonly linked to why any given employee wanted to work for the company in the first place. Nurture those reasons and unite them with the company mission.”

By ensuring you know what you’re looking for and who you are, you will have a roadmap to recruiting strong candidates.

3. They’re proactive

What if one of your top employees left tomorrow? What about in a year? It’s important to be proactive in the recruitment process. You can’t just wait for good people to find you. Recruitment in a competitive market requires proactive and directed action.

Start to build connections with other professionals in your field. Encourage your current employees to spread the word. They’re your best brand ambassadors and often high performers know other high performers.

My clients are proactively visible in the marketplace. Their websites reflect their mission and culture which is crucial as candidates in today’s world conduct extensive research prior to considering an opportunity.

Review sites such as Glassdoor and Google Reviews need to have positive, transparent, and honest feedback to give additional insight on your organization. Check your reviews often and encourage satisfied employees to post their reviews as well.

Be honest and credible. Remember that word of mouth from dissatisfied employees can quickly dispel any positive image you may be marketing.

4. They follow diverse and inclusive recruitment strategies

Speaking of being honest and credible, my best clients understand the importance of following a diverse and inclusive recruitment strategy. Their process helps build strong teams and foster lasting change.

Your recruitment strategy needs to be based on merit with special care taken to ensure procedures are free from biases related to a candidate’s age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and other personal characteristics that are unrelated to their job performance.

My clients who hire the best strive to identify and remove potential biases in sourcing, screening, and shortlisting candidates avoiding discriminating against qualified, diverse candidates.

5. They invest in professional help

The last strategy top organizations share will not be a surprise. When they need help, or simply lack the time to do something themselves, they invest in professional advice. This rings especially true for their most valuable assets — their people.

Instead of DIY-ing things like posting jobs, sifting through hundreds of resumes, interviewing sub-standard candidates, and making poor hiring choices, they understand the value of partnering with a recruiter to put all the pieces in place and present the best available talent in the market.

Matt Erhard, is a recruiter and managing partner at Summit Search Group, ranked in the top 5% of recruitment firms in Canada.

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