15 Apr
There are many places you can look for the right candidate to fill the role. If you follow a performance based hiring process then it becomes easier to target the right ways to find talent.
At any one time there are active job seekers and passive job seekers. The active job seekers are about 15% of the total market. Most companies need to be looking in the entire talent pool not just the active market. In other words, you need to develop a strategy for finding the right people. If you know what you want then it becomes much easier to develop a strategy to target the right people. This is also impotant to avoid wasting time and money where it does the least good. It does not matter if you are using Job Boards, Newspapers, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or any channel you can do it effectively or waste your time.
In Australia 80% of all available positions are filled through networks of people. In Asia 50% of all jobs are filled through advertising and job posting or recruitment.
If you know what you are looking for and importantly what will attract the candidates to your position and your company here are some things you may consider doing:
- Internal Candidate
It will give your organisation the best return on investment, which may seem obvious, but many companies overlook this. Research in the US has shown that internal candidates tend to perform well from day one, are more likely to succeed and cost less than external candidates. The cost (salary) of external candidates will be much higher and it will take up to 2 years for them to start to perform to the level that is required according to the research. Internal candidates are a known entity and are promoted because they can perform. Companies can lose sight of what they are doing by focusing only on accreditation and years experience. If you focus on performance based hiring it will be evident that there are people in your organisation that will perform and can do the work.
- Staff Networks
This can be through personal knowledge of people or recommendations from their netwoks. Look to the best people in the organisation and seek out what they think of the friends and the people they spend time with outside work. It based on the principle of "birds of a feather". High performers will know other high performers and will recommend them. People who recommend other people do so with the knowledge that these people will perform and will not harm their reputation or credibility. Many companies instigate incentive programs that reward their staff for bringing in good people.
- Competitors
The most aggressive companies target talented people from their competition. Those people who have proven themselves and have created a reputation. They can be disgruntled in their current role because promotion is limited and the company may not be creating the opportunities that they would like. This is a two edged sword and depending on the size of the industry and the range of organisation be aware that retaliation can occur.
- Industry Organisations & Networks
These organisations are a great source of imformation on the people who are members. Many of these organisations have programs that encourage and support job enquiries and placements.
- LinkedIn
This has developed into a tool of choice for recruiters and companies. Having the right membership allows companies to target a range of potential people. However, be aware that targeting people and actually finding them are two different activities. The growth of LinkedIn has made a database available to everyone. Recrutiment is a process of creating an outcome for mututal success. When using LinkedIn and any of the social media tools considerable care must be taken not to devalue your reputation as an organisation by the way you appraoch a person. Another tool worth looking into is Google +, this maybe the competition to LinkedIn at some point in the future.
- Facebook,Twitter & YouTube
In a recent report nearly 65% of US recruiters use Facebook and Twitter to search for people. This may also be a trend for find the right people with the right skills and talent especially through narrow interest groups.
- Job Boards
Job boards like Seek and My Career in Australia are the more popular online locations to place jobs.
- Industry Reputation
One of the more interesting ways to find candidates is search by reputations. This is especially important when you need very specialised skills. You will need to search on the Internet and do your homework in the niche areas where those reputations count but it can be very lucrative in findng the right kind of people.
- Conferences and Industry Events
It is important to attend and seek out people going to industry events. A wide range of people attend these activities and at the right events the "Who's Who" of the industry will be there as a presenter or a guest. People are willing to talk and you often get sufficient industry inside knowledge which can help in finding people ready for a change.
- Specialist Forums
Special interest groups and forums abound on the Internet and all it takes is to join and ask questions. These groups can be very accommodating in providing the right links and give you an idea of who is relevant in the group. Contacting these people will allow you to find out who may be interested in stepping up to the next level in their career.
- Universities
Many universities have placement services for their students and it is possible to organise introductions. These do not have to be restricted to new entrants in the workforce. Experienced people who have studied for extra accreditation such as MBAs, Master of Fininace, or Project Management degrees are examples of students who maybe helpful if these are part of your selection criteria.
- Training Providers
There are many training providers, both private and public, outside the unversities that would be pleased to help place their students upon completion of their courses. They can provide information on the student performance and apptitude as well as motivation through the way they present the potential candidates.
- Suppliers and Service Providers
In some industries the move from supplier and service provider to customer is natural. Keeping track of people that you deal with who could potentially work in your organisation is logical and can add considerable benefits. Many of these people have insights into how both business can work for better outcomes and greater results.
- Customers
In a similar vain as the previous example customer can provide a welcome source of skilled staff to your organisation. These people are often well trained in process and approach and will provide considerable insght to how your customers work in general. Understanding both the abilities and limitations of your customers can provide new opportunities to grow your business.
- Recruiters & Agencies
These organisation specialise in finding people and many candidates find it easier to deal with these agencies. These organisations are oftern far more repsonsive and have a different take on managing talent. Many are specialised and have close connections to the industry. They know when and who is becoming available and often have a loyal following of people.
- Stressed Companies
These are companies that have unfortunately found themselves in difficult commercial circumstances. They are downsizing or losing money and the level of staffing has to decrease. The poeple being released can be very good but just don't fit in the new structure. Some of these companies deal with the situation on a last in first out basis and the people being let go could be the very best.
- Non Competitors
People from companies in different industries that have nothing to do with your business can be great sources of finding skilled individuals. Translational skills are the untapped source of real talent. Too much emphasis on industry experience ignores the fact that new talent can bring new solutions to old problems. Some would say that there's nothing new under the sun so look to what others can teach and the value their knowledge adds to the organisation.
- Ex-employees and Alumni
Keep in touch with Ex-employees and Alumni as these people can be both a source of new talent and possible rehires because of their new found skills and passions. Communicating with these people has upsides for everyone and is a cost effective way to extend your reach to their networks. These people have an added reason to find the right people for the organisation.
- Professional Organisations
Specialist organistions like the Institute of Engineers Australia, CPA, or the Institute of Management are all good sources of potential candidates. These organisations are usually helpful in directing their people and you to opportunities as it serves their interest to increase the reach and the benefits of being part of the profession.
- Outplacement
There are a number of outplacement services that exist, for example, those with Government services like the military. These people have skills and knowledge gained that are useful to industry and their style of work and discipline make them ideal in many areas of business. They are used to getting the job done and work well in structured environments.
- Government and Public Service
The Government is a rich source of skilled and talented individuals. They have more to offer than creating links to departments or lobby groups. These people are usually well trained and some have cutting edge knowledge. They can be industry experts and understand how policy and opportunity can be matched in a variety of ways.
- Specialist Journals and Magazines
Targeting specialist journals through advertising or identifying people through their contributions is a good source of new talent. Industry specific magazines often provide insights into what is happening in the industry that the leadership of the organisations fail to see.
- Specialist Blogs
Blogs are one the new growth industries of our times. It seems that everyone has a blog as people want to have their say. Look for talent and insight displayed in blogs. These people can also have strong following and can be a source of staff in their own right.
- Advertising
Advertising is clearly in decline but don't discount its effectiveness in certain circumstances. The best effect is for more narrow targeted publications or specialist magazines and periodicals. Shot gun sprays are a waste of energy. Another benefit of advertising is that it can be a way to create a company brand or a message which may entice people to be part of the organisation. Advertising for a position is easier if the company continually markets and establishes their brand in this way.