Just as dating in today’s world happens a lot differently than it did in the past, the same is true for finding great candidates for your open roles. While job boards, ads, and resumes are still popular, there are many other ways to find talented people who are a strong fit for your organization. 

Consider dipping your organizational toe into one or more of these unique dating pools to discover talent matches made in heaven.

Creative Ways to Meet Potential Candidates

Sponsor a Major Industry Event

Building brand awareness by being an industry-focused event sponsor is a great way to connect with clients — but hot tip, it’s also a way to meet skilled candidates. Annual conferences and similar events draw people who are already knowledgeable about your field, and people often attend them specifically to network and look for new opportunities.

Sponsorships often come in several tiers to make them affordable, and you can also ask about other ways to make your presence known — such as hosting an information booth, putting on a contest, or providing swag for gift bags. All are great ways to stand out among the crowd for candidates you want to impress.

Host Interactive Recruiting Events

You’ve probably heard of speed-dating as a way to meet new people. Or how about singles group meetups? There’s no reason you can’t take an approach like these to connect with potential candidates for your open roles. A literal speed-recruiting event can be hosted at job fairs, online, or on-site at your company.

Of course, there are other ways to bring candidates together too — such as holding a LinkedIn or resume-writing workshop for people in your industry; or offering free webinars or lunch-and-learns for people looking to boost their careers in your field. You can make these short and focused on business, or relaxed and focused on the community, such as hosting a silent auction for charity. The goal is to meet people who connect with your organization’s purpose and vision who also might be interested in applying for open roles.

Hold a Contest for Creative Roles

If you’re looking to fill a position that involves creative skills such as communication and design, or a niche skill set such as coding and technical abilities, hosting a contest can be a unique way to connect with talented people. While this approach may take you a bit outside your normal recruiting comfort zone, it is a great way to connect with your community, raise your brand awareness, and reach people who might not otherwise realize they’re a fit to work at your company.

For example, you might consider hosting or sponsoring a “hackathon” where skilled tech people gather to test software and solve computer-related challenges. This reveals key abilities in tech, of course, but also allows you to evaluate candidates on their congeniality and knowledge in a team-based setting.

Schedule a Panel of Speakers

Holding a speaking event that highlights industry pros is an effective way to showcase your business’s thought leadership and expertise. Again, this both sets your company up to connect with potential clients as well as potential talent. 

This is a little different from sponsoring a big industry-wide event, because you can target this to what interests your business, keep it to a manageable size, and promote the speakers who matter most to you. You can arrange networking and break-out sessions however you see fit. Plus, because you’re putting on the event, you can structure it for anytime of the year, at a cost that is most affordable to your business.

Have a Virtual Job Fair

If your current talent pool is limited by your location and you have a desire to reach beyond that local talent pool, virtual events are a great way to do so. They’re easy to arrange, and you can choose from a variety of platforms from Zoom and Google Meet to Streamyard, Clubhouse and others. Online job fairs can feature break-out sessions, one-on-ones, Q&As, and anything else you feel is relevant and will attract candidates.

Virtual recruiting is increasingly popular for both companies and candidates. They’re convenient, flexible, and effective for finding solid fits to your open positions, especially if they’re thoughtfully done. Read here for more tips on enhancing your online recruiting — and reach out to our Who’s Your HR? team anytime to get help and guidance on making your virtual recruiting efforts a success.

Date Around Within Your Organization

One of the best places you will always have to find candidates for open positions are the people already around you — your existing staff members. People who currently work for your company already have an understanding of how the organization functions. They don’t have to be onboarded. And they have a vested interest in growing their careers. 

So, be sure to post open roles so that internal candidates have a chance to apply, with enough time and notice so they can act promptly if they choose to. And consider creating ways for current employees to get more involved and showcase their passions and talents, through volunteer committees, training sessions, and more.

Have Your Friends Set You Up with Someone

Who hasn’t tried this technique at least once when dating? Good news — it can be highly effective for finding great talent for your organization too. There are a number of ways to ask your business “friends” to set you up. For example, establish a referral program to encourage current staff to refer people like them to your company. Also, let your business network know that you’re hiring, and see who they recommend you talk to as potential candidates.

This is a powerful approach because both your business contacts and your employees understand your company, know what it takes to succeed there, and often have people in their extended network who, like them, would be successful new hires. You can even find out how well they know a potential candidate and see how comfortable they are offering a recommendation, as a way to screen candidates further.

Modern Techniques to Woo Those Candidates You’d Like to Hire

Now that you have used these creative techniques to find several candidates to choose from, how do you build the relationship so that they’re responsive when you make a job offer? These tips from the world of dating can help for business too:

1. See your candidates as real people. You’re looking to “click” with them and see if they click with your company. 
2. Create a great impression. Today’s candidates are probably talking with several companies and “dating around.” So, be memorable. 
3. Evaluate how invested they are in your company. Are they excited to be there? 
4. Maintain a respectful attitude. Respond promptly, and communicate with transparency, whether you want to continue the relationship or not.
5. Be direct with your expectations. Successful relationships at work are rooted in clarity and a shared understanding of expectations. 
6. Be open to those with side hustles. People often have a few different irons in the fire, and it’s a good idea to allow them to happen, as long as their side projects don’t post a conflict of interest.
7. Offer the full package. Yes, candidates care about salary, but perks are also highly prized. We can help you get super creative with perks that appeal to candidates while still fitting into your budget.

(We’ll get deeper into winning over candidates in next month’s post.)

Create Perfect Recruitment Matches with Candidates — with Help from the Pros at Who’s Your HR?

Just as you wouldn’t leave your dating life to chance, you don’t need to leave your employee recruitment to chance either. You can find your dream candidates — and it all starts with setting up the right plan to reach talented people.

At Who’s Your HR?, we have years of expertise working with businesses of all sizes and many industries, helping find strong candidates to fit organizations like yours. Plus, we offer training sessions and guidance to streamline your hiring process and ensuring your recruiting approach is diverse, equitable, inclusive and targeted to find great fits for your business.

Contact us at 539-215-8868 to schedule a consultation on planning and hosting recruiting events, crafting appealing job descriptions, screening resumes and candidates, and more.