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Candidate pipeline tools are key efficient hiring.
Without a talent pipeline, your recruitment team can’t succeed.
However, finding candidates with the right skill set can be tough.
If you’re recruiting for diversity, it can be even harder.
There’s no question that this can be a challenge. With the right tools, you can build a strong talent pipeline.
Here are three sourcing strategies to use in your recruitment process:
Candidate Pipeline Tool #1 – Recruitment Marketing
Ask your marketing team for help with recruitment marketing. At a minimum, you need a career page that will catch candidates’ attention. You need to make a compelling case for working at your company.
Ask yourself, why should someone come work for you instead of the other guys? If you’re sending candidates boring career pages, you’re already losing. Don’t get us started on hard-to-read JDs.
Potential candidates need to know why your company is worth their time. Make a splash on job boards!
Next, look into social ads and email marketing campaigns. You want to stand out from the crowd. Showcase what you have to offer as an employer.
If possible, leverage video for all of the above. Studies show that video works better to capture people’s attention on social media.
With strong marketing collateral, your recruiting team has an advantage before they’ve even talked to candidates. It’s not a part of the usual hiring process, but it’s important!
Candidate Pipeline Tool #2 – A Strong Personal Brand
Every recruiter understands the value of having a broad network in their industry. But what many recruiters miss is building their own personal brand!
Your personal brand is basically the image, reputation and influence you have intentionally cultivated in your industry.
Most people don’t think of this in talent acquisition, but it gives you a huge advantage.
We could spend all day talking about how to build a strong personal brand, but in a nutshell, you want to make sure you know your industry like the back of your hand and put your best foot forward on social media.
Post regularly about topics in your industry, answer questions and offer your honest opinion on current trends. Network and talk to people in your target industry even if they aren’t super relevant to your current reqs.
At the end of the day, a strong personal brand is all about consistently adding value for others. If you offer value to people day in, day out, they will remember you when they go looking for a job or when you reach out about an opening.
Make a positive impression and job seekers will remember you later! The more people you know outside your applicant tracking system, the better. Seeing a familiar face on a video interview goes a long way for candidate experience.
It’s about playing the long game to become a recruiter with true influence rather than just chasing down candidates for your current openings.
With a broad network and a strong brand, great candidates will come to you or at the very least be much more receptive to your outreach!
Candidate Pipeline Tool #3 – Digging Beyond Job Boards and LinkedIn
Common sense says that LinkedIn and job boards are the best thing since sliced bread for recruiters. Or are they?
You have to think bigger for candidate pipeline tools.
The problem with these platforms is that they are low-hanging fruit…for every recruiter across the globe. They’ve become oversaturated. There’s too many recruiters and not enough candidates to go around, especially for top positions.
As a result, candidates are spammed by hundreds of InMails from recruiters every single week.
These platforms are an excellent starting point for any search, but if you really want to access the entire talent pool, you have to dig deeper. Put feelers out across your network. Join groups on social media that pertain to your industry and connect with potential candidates.
And last but not least, consider using external support like our very own recruitment research and sourcing solutions. These services allow you to get a steady stream of qualified, relevant candidates. In many cases our clients actually lower their cost-per-hire because they spend less time sifting through crappy resumes!
It’s Time to Think Outside the Box
Gone are the days of posting and praying or finding everyone you need with a LinkedIn search. If recruiters want to add the most possible value and make better hires, they have to innovate with sourcing strategies.
The key is applying tools that other recruiters aren’t using and accessing talent pools that others overlook.
Great candidates can be found for those who know where to look…if you’d like to shake up your sourcing strategies or connect with more candidates, subscribe to our YouTube channel today!
