Crazy Recruitment Practices That Actually Work

Finding top talent has become as difficult as mining for gold. And just like the panhandlers had to develop and discover newer and better ways to search for their treasures, hiring professionals have had to expand their thinking about recruitment practices.

1 | SOCIAL MEDIA BEYOND LINKEDIN

While it may sound unconventional and may not fall within the company’s comfort zone, some recruiters are trying new avenues with social media to find top quality candidates. Some have found success with dating sites, others with social media channels such as Instagram and SnapChat, and some have even been looking at gaming websites to find potential candidates. While doing so may pose some company risk, that needs to be assessed against the success of current recruitment practices, hiring trends and your company’s business lines. What may be appropriate for an internet start-up may not, for example, work for a financial services firm. But it is certainly a new way of thinking.

2 | TV

Other innovative recruitment practices involve the use of television advertising. This may be a reach for some, but it also has the potential to reach a magnitude of workers, some of whom may not even have been thinking about another job. While putting out a “recruiting” ad may make sense for a large company looking to fill a substantial number of jobs, it may not be the right fit for a small mom-and-pop shop with only a few positions to fill. Again, know your company and its needs before making the recommendation in such a substantial investment.

3 | UNTRADITIONAL BENEFITS

Focus on the family by looking at where employees live and making it easier to get to work. Some companies are offering employee subsidies to move within 10 or 20 minutes of the office to allow them less commuting time and more community time. Apparently living close by is a perk that helps employees stick around longer, which is not surprising because finding work/life balance is a key concept for many employees currently in the market.

Other ideas include making the recruitment process fun and a game, removing personalized information such as names and addresses to decrease bias and improve accessibility, personalizing the onboarding process and even using carefully crafted attacks on the competition to “poach” their best workers have helped companies successfully recruit.

While not all of these solutions may be practical or palatable for your company, they are interesting and novel recruitment practices that should at least be considered. Sometimes, in order to get the right employees, you have to take chances, especially in recruitment practices.

About The Author

Esteban Gomez is a marketing consultant with interviewstream. He loves learning and has a passion for traveling, having visited many countries including China, Colombia, Italy, and Peru.