Originally published on Medium. 

Are you finding it difficult to find qualified talent for your business in a tight employment market? It might be because you’re relying on pre-pandemic strategies in a post-pandemic world. At LMHR, we are often asked for recruitment support. Here are our top 5 strategies for successful hiring.

1. Be clear on your brand and strategic plan

As a part of your strategic HR plan, creating and maintaining a strong employer brand is probably one of the most important factors when trying to attract, secure and retain great talent. Your employer brand should reflect your culture and values and outline your Employee Value Proposition (EVP): Ask yourself, “Why do candidates want to work for my business? What does my business offer?”Another important part aspect of a brand is its reputation.

It’s important to consider what clients and employees (current or former) say about you — having positive reviews and word-of-mouth endorsements can help build your brand significantly. Finally, it’s important to celebrate your success. If you have won an award or had great reviews, promote it! Who doesn’t want to work for a successful business or an award-winning company?

2. Creating a job description and nailing your job advertisement

Spending some time developing your job description will help you be clear on what you are advertising. Determine your must-haves and be open-minded about your desirables. It is crucial that your advertisement is easy to read and contains a succinct description of the role. Whatever you are posting — whether it’s on your own website, a large employment platform, or a niche job board — never underestimate the importance of having a well-written job ad.

Make sure your advertisement is accurate, especially for more technical roles, and check you have used the correct terminology. It can be useful to run ads past others first to ensure you are getting your message across. Further, don’t embellish the culture, earnings, or company benefits. Keep them relevant and to the point, don’t overload them with information. Finally, always make sure to spell check and proofread adverts as a job ad is often a candidate’s first impression of your company so make sure it is a good one.

3. Where are you advertising? Stay local and get personal

In a candidate-scarce job market, try to personalize your job posts. Think about where and with whom you do business. If you have a local enterprise, advertise locally. If you are strongly associated with your industry, advertise within it. Niche job boards and industry-specific press can be a great way to tap into talent. Do you currently have some great people on your team? Perhaps you could offer them an employee referral fee for successful recruits. While people are more home-based and moving around a lot less using national platforms may not be the most efficient way for you to find your people.

Promoting word-of-mouth recommendations and exploring peer-to-peer networks can help to personalize and authenticate your business. You could also tap into the individualized nature of social media. People spend a lot of time on it, so it makes sense to go looking for a targeted pool of candidates there. Also, don’t forget to keep universities and vocational schools’ student’s job boards in mind. They can prove valuable to your recruitment strategy and help you tap into a great pool of up-and-coming talent.

4. Reach out to passive candidates

Job advertisements can be helpful, but they don’t always bring exactly what you are looking for. Why not reach out to potential candidates who may not be actively looking for work, but have relevant experience for what you need? Reaching out to these candidates can be done through social media, Talent Search or even person-to-person. Be sure to send personalized reach-outs. Make sure they’re engaging and communicate the positive aspects of your business –great culture, career opportunities, and/or remote work setup.

5. Interviewing process

Keep the application process simple and be innovative with your process. Video interviews are becoming increasingly popular and can cut costs whilst increasing hiring efficiency. Get on the same page with hiring managers and communicate expectations to candidates from the beginning. Communication is truly the key– stay in touch with candidates and try to give feedback within a few days. Even if a decision has not been made, touch base anyway and provide them with an update. Be sure to also ask candidates for their feedback, regardless of the outcome of the hiring process.

At LMHR we’ve been providing recruitment support in Sydney for small and medium businesses to find the right talent. HR can be painful. We do the heavy lifting, so you can focus on running the show. Get help now. Contact us today.