Our clients are all asking: Is there a foolproof strategy to find and hire talent for those hard-to-fill positions? In the rapidly evolving talent acquisition changes of 2024, with artificial intelligence gaining momentum, many employers feel the pressure and wonder if this technology is giving their competitors an edge. The truth is that AI is not a one-size-fits-all solution in talent acquisition. While it has numerous applications (see this article), most companies are just beginning to comprehend how this new superpower will reshape their operations. In the interim, what is working and working well?
Remember the days before smartphones and Bluetooth? If you drive to work, you will listen to the radio and hear a bunch of commercials. As an advertiser back then, you could use two or three stations and cover over 50% of the market. Today, even if you advertise on every radio station (too costly), you may only get 10% of the market to hear your pitch. Podcasts, audio books, streaming services, ad free music services and others have taken up the market share. The same thing happened in talent acquisition. There is no one source for finding hard-to-find talent that works perfectly. You must put together a comprehensive plan that will work in 2024 and beyond. Here’s how:
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Post your job only on three relevant job boards. This will include a general site (like Talent.com), a niche site (like GreatInsuranceJobs.com), and a local site (like OrlandoJobs.com).
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Work with targeted associations like Claims Litigation Management (theCLM.org) and see what products they have to reach their membership with your hard-to-fill claims position. All job types have associations (like SHRM for HR professionals) that can get your job in front of a targeted group.
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Craft a compelling job title. People often read headlines before clicking, so use the title to create a captivating headline. Replace mundane job titles with enticing benefits. For instance, for an Actuary position, use a title like ‘Work-Life Balance: Actuary Opportunity! ‘ This approach is more likely to attract clicks. Remove all barriers to the application system. If you redirect potential candidates to your ATS system while they are using their phones, you will lose them. Just grab some quick information (like name, email, and current title. Once they submit that, a link to the job should be sent to their email so they can make the formal application later. Also, once they submit, they should get a quick option to attach their resume. 50% of candidates do not have access to resumes on their phones, so make sure this is optional with clear directions that if they can’t do this, they have a link to do it later.
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Have your marketing department create a look-alike list of people already in your ATS with the qualifications you need. In simple terms, they can take this list and upload it to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, and it will serve your job ad to people on those platforms who have similar backgrounds. It requires work, but providing videos or great graphics to a targeted (not free but inexpensive) list of qualified talent will yield great results.
It’s hard to find talent with the unique skills you need. You must spread the word over multiple platforms in many ways. The biggest mistake employers make is getting the fish on the line and making them fill out their long-form application. This doesn’t work. Make the application process simple so that teenagers can do it.