The Top 5 Sources for Finding Great Candidates
Trawling through piles of resumes and cover letters can be a daunting task. Not only that, but how can you be sure you’re choosing from the best candidates? Sometimes it pays to be proactive in your search. Instead of having candidates come to you, taking a little time to go out and find candidates for yourself can pay huge dividends. Applying for and communicating about open positions is easier now than ever before. While this results in a potentially higher volume of applications than previously, it also means finding the right candidate can also be more challenging. Let’s take a look at some of the best sources you can use to go out and find the best candidates.
A website designed for job networking has to be a great place to start, right? While LinkedIn can be an excellent source for great candidates, the sheer volume of users seeking jobs on the site means you’ll need to really narrow down and pinpoint what you’re looking for. Fortunately, LinkedIn has some great tools to help you in your job candidates search. Narrow down searches by such characteristics as candidate location, years of experience, and current job function. Once you’ve narrowed down your searches, LinkedIn’s individual profiles provide rich information on skills, work and education history, as well as their connections and any recommendations they’ve received. LinkedIn basically provides all the information that would be contained in a candidate’s resume so you can gain a clear understanding of their background and qualifications before reaching out.
Finding job candidates on LinkedIn can also be as easy as joining the right groups. If you’re in a particularly niche industry, there might be a dedicated discussion group of experts who keep in touch and talk about industry-related topics. Perhaps you could set up a post outlining what you’re looking for in a candidate, or simply start engaging with users in the group to start building relationships and uncovering great potential employees.
You may have heard Facebook is no longer considered "cool" among today’s youth, but it still remains the most popular social network in the world and, as a result, one of the best places to find good employees. The average US consumer spends 40 minutes per day on the site which makes it an excellent place to find, attract, and interact with potential candidates. Post about your company and try to establish yourself as a great place to work. Great candidates seek out places they want to work, and establishing your presence on the largest social network can go a long way to bringing them in to your company.
The relationship between job candidates and social media is one that gets its fair share of negative attention. We’ve all heard those stories of job candidates having job offers revoked after their new employer looked at their Twitter account and didn’t like something they saw. And social media channels like Twitter can certainly be a way to disregard certain candidates who don’t appear to be a good cultural fit for your organization. However, Twitter can also be an excellent source for uncovering great candidates. Searching via hashtags and metrics like retweets and followers help you identify subject matter experts. Depending on your industry, there may even be dedicated feeds for job postings.
A staffing agency can serve as a great way to find good employees. With options to hire temporary, temp-to-hire employees, or direct hires you can be sure of a pipeline of quality employees specifically matched to your needs. Hiring through a staffing agency gives you the flexibility to ensure cultural fit and skillset are both exactly what you’re looking for in a candidate before permanently hiring them. Staffing agencies give you access to an enormous pool of talent, prescreened and ready to start contributing to your business.
Depending on the industry you find yourself hiring for, there are probably dedicated online forums that may be worth checking out. Interacting with forum participants or just generally looking out for subject matter experts who would excel at your company, is another way to uncover talent. Forums are a place where people ask questions for experts in their fields to answer. If you’re impressed by the knowledge displayed by a commenter, this may be a sign to reach out and start a relationship with them. Who knows? They could turn out to be your next great hire.
Going beyond the traditional processes of finding candidates—posting a job advertisement, gathering applicants, and then interviewing to find the best one—may require some additional engagement and out-of-the-box thinking. But aligning your candidate sourcing tools be more proactive can ultimately lead to more satisfactory hiring experiences.
For more information on the best places to find good employees, contact J&J staffing today!
1. LinkedIn
A website designed for job networking has to be a great place to start, right? While LinkedIn can be an excellent source for great candidates, the sheer volume of users seeking jobs on the site means you’ll need to really narrow down and pinpoint what you’re looking for. Fortunately, LinkedIn has some great tools to help you in your job candidates search. Narrow down searches by such characteristics as candidate location, years of experience, and current job function. Once you’ve narrowed down your searches, LinkedIn’s individual profiles provide rich information on skills, work and education history, as well as their connections and any recommendations they’ve received. LinkedIn basically provides all the information that would be contained in a candidate’s resume so you can gain a clear understanding of their background and qualifications before reaching out.
Finding job candidates on LinkedIn can also be as easy as joining the right groups. If you’re in a particularly niche industry, there might be a dedicated discussion group of experts who keep in touch and talk about industry-related topics. Perhaps you could set up a post outlining what you’re looking for in a candidate, or simply start engaging with users in the group to start building relationships and uncovering great potential employees.
2. Facebook
You may have heard Facebook is no longer considered "cool" among today’s youth, but it still remains the most popular social network in the world and, as a result, one of the best places to find good employees. The average US consumer spends 40 minutes per day on the site which makes it an excellent place to find, attract, and interact with potential candidates. Post about your company and try to establish yourself as a great place to work. Great candidates seek out places they want to work, and establishing your presence on the largest social network can go a long way to bringing them in to your company.
3. Twitter
The relationship between job candidates and social media is one that gets its fair share of negative attention. We’ve all heard those stories of job candidates having job offers revoked after their new employer looked at their Twitter account and didn’t like something they saw. And social media channels like Twitter can certainly be a way to disregard certain candidates who don’t appear to be a good cultural fit for your organization. However, Twitter can also be an excellent source for uncovering great candidates. Searching via hashtags and metrics like retweets and followers help you identify subject matter experts. Depending on your industry, there may even be dedicated feeds for job postings.
4. A Staffing Agency
A staffing agency can serve as a great way to find good employees. With options to hire temporary, temp-to-hire employees, or direct hires you can be sure of a pipeline of quality employees specifically matched to your needs. Hiring through a staffing agency gives you the flexibility to ensure cultural fit and skillset are both exactly what you’re looking for in a candidate before permanently hiring them. Staffing agencies give you access to an enormous pool of talent, prescreened and ready to start contributing to your business.
5. Online Forums
Depending on the industry you find yourself hiring for, there are probably dedicated online forums that may be worth checking out. Interacting with forum participants or just generally looking out for subject matter experts who would excel at your company, is another way to uncover talent. Forums are a place where people ask questions for experts in their fields to answer. If you’re impressed by the knowledge displayed by a commenter, this may be a sign to reach out and start a relationship with them. Who knows? They could turn out to be your next great hire.
Going beyond the traditional processes of finding candidates—posting a job advertisement, gathering applicants, and then interviewing to find the best one—may require some additional engagement and out-of-the-box thinking. But aligning your candidate sourcing tools be more proactive can ultimately lead to more satisfactory hiring experiences.
For more information on the best places to find good employees, contact J&J staffing today!
posted by Sean E. Malady at
11:21 AM
