Finding the best employees for your enterprise is not as easy as it might sound. You want to find the ideal employee who has the necessary knowledge and skills to do the job. They should also be an organizational fit. And, above all, they should have the potential to go beyond their job description and contribute to the growth of your company.
Not being selective can leave an employer with egg on their face. After scanning a resumé and conducting a brief interview, an appointment is made. However, within months, the employee’s true colors have emerged, and they’re not who you thought they were.
Here are some sound strategies for finding the best possible employees:
- Advertise strategically
Where and how you advertise open positions has a significant impact on who applies for the job. The days of print job advertisements are fast coming to an end. People who are seeking work are doing so online. Adjust your strategy to take technology into account.
When placing online job advertisements, consider the following:
Visibility
Place your advert on online platforms where prospective employees are going to look. Use multiple platforms and sponsored ads to keep your advertisement prominent. Be selective about the keywords you use. Utilizing the correct keywords brings your advert closer to the top of search rankings.
Detail
Give a detailed job description in the advertisement. Be careful not to use the same ad across different platforms. A Facebook advert will be shorter than one on a recruitment agency site. Link social media adverts to a site where the prospective employee can find more information.
Additional provisos
Specify what you would expect an applicant to do. For example, if you’re going to insist on a drug test, stipulate it in the advert.
- Go and look for applicants
The best place to find possible candidates is on platforms like LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a social media site that focuses on your professional life.
Users upload their profiles which include their qualifications and work experience. The company’s LinkedIn page can be used to place advertisements. This platform is where professionals are likely to look for work.
Bear in mind that thousands of people join LinkedIn daily. You can search for people to approach with a job offer. It is advisable to search every couple of days to look for new faces and new resumé s that could fit the bill.
- Don’t get tunnel vision
Never assume that the best candidates are outside the organization. Do a thorough audit of current employees to see if there is anyone already in the company who could do the job. It might require some training and development, but it’s entirely possible the right person for the job is already in the building.
The advantages of internal recruitment are that the employee has a proven track record. Their productivity and performance are already on record. They also don’t need time to acclimate to the organizational culture as they’re already familiar with it.
- Utilize the interview
The interview is the final step before an appointment. Don’t stick to worn out questions like, “Tell us about yourself.” Get to the heart of the matter. You have a limited time in which to conduct an interview. Make every question count to give you an indication of whether this is the right person for the job.
Pepper the interview with practical questions based on real scenarios. These questions give you an insight into the interviewee’s actual knowledge, skills, and abilities. Take the time to think out questions that will provide you with the information you need to make a considered decision on who to appoint.