Outdated Tactics for Recruiting

Avoid These 5 Outdated Tactics for Recruiting & Hiring Candidates

Kelly Barcelos on November 18, 2016 in Recruitment Strategy

Going old-school might work for music or fashion, but in recruitment and hiring, you need to get with the times or lose out. Your competitors are waiting to swoop down on that candidate you’ve been eyeing, and your choice of recruitment tactics could either attract great talent or drive it away!

Today, the hiring process is evolving by leaps and bounds, and smart recruiters are using modern tools to their advantage. With mobile recruiting software, social media platforms and other state-of-the-art software, it’s never been easier to connect with potential candidates. Why then, would you continue to live in the past?

5 old-school hiring and recruitment tactics that you really should wave goodbye to now

  1. Leaving Applicants in the Dark

    Workers today are more aware than ever before, they’re looking for a great work experience, and are likely to research your company before even sending in an application. Make it easier for them!

    Share detailed insights about the workplace, culture, philosophy, and events from time to time, in addition to job openings, growth opportunities, benefits, etc. This creates a well-rounded description that can attract potential candidates, rather than just a one-dimensional (or worse, empty) profile.

  2. “One-Size-Fits-All” Hiring

    Your recruitment strategy has to be flexible since not every candidate you encounter will be the same. Adapting your questions, processes, and responses to each candidate’s skills, background and personality can help you bridge the gap faster and give you more insight into their suitability as well.

    A rigid recruitment strategy no longer works, especially when you’re hiring for high-level positions. Whether you’re screening candidates for the first interview round or the last, adapt your game plan as needed, e.g. scheduling face-to-face meetings instead of phone interviews for high-priority candidates.

  3. Ignoring Passive Candidates

    You may have interviewed someone for a different opening in the past, only to find that they weren’t quite the right fit. Does it end there? Not anymore, you can’t afford to let it!

    The same candidate may be perfect for a position that just opened up, and you can reach out to them if you’ve maintained a passive talent pool. An applicant tracking system (ATS) can store a profile for each shortlisted candidate you may want to contact in the future, so use this tool to your benefit.

  4. Poor Communication

    Cold, impersonal emails or calls don’t make much of an impression on talented candidates. They probably receive dozens of these every day, so you need to stand out and make them want to respond.

    Modern tools give you all the information you could possibly need about a candidate’s professional interests, background and status. Use these to personalize your communication with them, e.g. mentioning a colleague of theirs you helped place or appreciating an award/achievement that they’ve shared online.

  5. Long Hiring Timeframes

    There’s no excuse for taking months to decide whether you’re hiring an applicant or not. Talented people won’t wait for long, and even average ones will lose patience at some point.

    You should use a resume sorting software to speed up your game, especially in today’s competitive market. Automating the majority of your hiring processes leaves you free to focus on actually interviewing and assessing people to understand whether they’re a good fit or not, and hiring them without delay if they are!

A powerful cloud based recruitment software like Jobsoid can take over mundane recruitment tasks (posting ads, collecting resumes, shortlisting candidates, assigning work to team members, etc.). Save your time, energy and resources by letting smart technology do the work for you!

Kelly Barcelos

Kelly Barcelos is a progressive digital marketing manager specializing in HR and is responsible for leading Jobsoid’s content and social media team. When Kelly is not building campaigns, she is busy creating content and preparing PR topics. She started with Jobsoid as a social media strategist and eventually took over the entire digital marketing team with her innovative approach and technical expertise.