Recruitment Tools

What are some smart and savvy ways to recruit applicants for your job? In many ways, recruitment is like printing media advertising. You want to get your brand message out to as many potential candidates as possible--particularly candidates in your target demographic. In addition, you want to focus on the upsides of the position and downplay the negative aspects of the job.

The major difference between recruitment and advertising--and it is profound--is that job candidates can leave if they're unsatisfied. (Once you make a purchase from an advertiser, you're pretty much stuck, unless you go through the hassle of trying to collect a refund.) Given that it's important to reduce your attrition rates and foster an atmosphere of strong workplace morale, how should you adjust your recruitment strategy?

A More Sophisticated and Well Rounded Recruitment Strategy

Once the job applicant has come to you, you gain a certain amount of leverage in the relationship. When you lay down the pros and cons of the job upfront, you'll weed out unsuitable candidates. While this honest approach may be the cause of some mild frustration--for the obvious reason that it will take longer to complete your staffing--you'll ultimately save yourself some serious personnel headaches.

Moreover, once you recruit enough good people, you'll galvanize a kind of snowball effect. Your employees will in effect become recruitment tools, attracting the best and brightest in their fields. Of course, to get to the point where your employees themselves can recruit, you need to foster a productive and highly functional workplace.