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Your 2021 Hiring Strategy: Are You Ready? 

Your 2021 Hiring Strategy - Are You Ready_

10 Recruitment Strategies for 2021 and 4 Easy Steps to Get Started

Hiring is always a challenge. And on top of everything else going on right now, streamlining your recruiting process to combat hiring challenges and ensuring you are attracting the best candidates might seem like an overwhelming project to undertake. Below are 10 different strategies, both large and small, that can help you improve your employer brand, enhance the candidate experience, and help you fill your open positions with qualified candidates in 2021.

Top 10 Strategies for Accomplishing your 2021 Hiring Goals

1. Invest in new ATS: Gain a competitive advantage by investing in top-of-the-line Talent Management Technology/Applicant Tracking System. The time and money you invest here will streamline your hiring process and help you automate much of what you spend your time doing.

2. Actively Promote your Careers Page: I could spend hours on this subject alone, but the #1 thing to do immediately is to ensure a link to your CAREERS page is prominently displayed and easily accessible on all pages of your website. This is a no-brainer because it is not only easy to implement (your IT department can get it done in minutes), it costs nothing to do.

3. Go Mobile: When it comes to modern-day job seekers, 90% use their mobile devices to search for jobs. Mobile recruitment is a must!

4. Implement Diversity & Inclusion into your Company Culture and Hiring: If you have not already implemented Diversity & Inclusion into your E-Brand, you are way behind the eight ball. With a little training, it’s simple to place into your internal and external hiring practices. By creating diversity-friendly policies into your existing workplace policies, it shows your company looks at their employees with a diversity lens. Top candidates want to work for an organization with a strong company culture, and creating an environment of inclusion is key to that.

5. Use Third Party Recruiters: Most HR and TA professionals understand the importance of having a recruiting firm on their speed dial. Whether you have a single HR person at your company or have an entire Talent Acquisition team, having a shortlist of quality recruiters at your fingertips is essential. Find a recruiter who truly understands your industry and the unique positions you fill. Ideally, find a recruiting firm that offers both contingency and retained search options.

6. Social Media Engagement: If you are not currently utilizing social media in your recruiting strategy, you are behind the times and losing out on a huge pool of potential applicants. Implementing social media as a hiring practice is a sure-fire way to increase your exposure to active and passive job seekers, promote your opportunities, and decrease your time to hire. The sheer volume of social media users should sell you on the ‘why’ you should be out there.

Here at some stats:

  • LinkedIn – 260 million active users
  • Twitter – 330 million active users
  • TikTok – 800 million active users
  • Instagram – 800 million active users
  • Facebook – 2.17 billion active users

7. Implement a Proper Onboarding Program: Impress your incoming employees with a stellar onboarding program. If you have a great ATS, it may already have this as part of the software. Starting a new job is always intimidating for a candidate, but firming up your employer branding in the first few days of your new team member’s tenure is a great way to kick things off on the right foot for long term retention and success.

8. Host or Attend Quarterly Hiring Events (social distancing, of course): There are several online events HR professionals can attend to attract and retain quality employees. Go to your state and local associations that are dedicated to the industry in which you work. Additionally, check out the local and national associations your company belongs to in order to plan for the events coming up in 2021.

9. Kick up your Job Descriptions: It’s time to differentiate your opportunity from the rest of the jobs out there. Don’t be afraid to stand out a bit. Be bold or be buried in the rest of the minutia.

10. Advertise on Industry-Specific Job Boards: It’s a proven fact; niche job boards produce better results than generic job boards. Know and use the best job boards within your industry to get the best industry-specific candidates. I recommend that you step outside of your role as a hiring manager and look at your existing processes from a job seeker’s perspective. Doing so will allow you to see things that you may not normally see and/or change the priorities. With the proper planning, you’ll be ahead of the game, fill your positions faster, end your habit of “post and pray” for candidates, and ultimately reduce your hiring expenses. Happy Hiring!

Once you review the strategies above, it’s easy as 1-2-3-4 to GET STARTED:

  1. Assess what you currently have in place
  2. Evaluate areas that are in need of improvement
  3. Prioritize — Evaluate your long and short-term priorities
  4. Implement one strategy at a time

If you need help, reach out to a professional. Goodwin Recruiting is here to help. We have a large talent pool and insights into the job market that may or may not be on your team’s radar. Recruiting challenges are real. Let us help you find the right candidate, streamline your processes, and bring top talent to your team in 2021.