101 Ideas for Recruiting the Employees You Want
By Cathy Fyock
Ó2002
1.
Anticipate staffing needs.
2. Target messages to a specific candidate.
3. Understand the needs of targeted
candidates, and appeal to their needs.
4.
Investigate the employment of older
workers in your organization.
5. Workers with disabilities may be a
target market segment that will help meet your staffing needs.
6.
Analyze the ways that moonlighters
might meet staffing needs for nights and weekends.
7.
Look at career shifters as a
group to enter your industry.
8. "Back-to-work-moms" are
looking for employment opportunities that offer training as well as
flexibility.
9.
Target disadvantaged youth as
a market segment to meet recruiting needs.
10.
Exiting military are looking for career opportunities in the
civilian world.
11.
Prison release programs have job candidates that are looking for a
second chance.
12. Work with government funded employment and training programs that will assist
you in the recruitment process.
13. Look carefully at internal issues before
employing non-traditional workers; see if diversity
training is appropriate for supervisors and managers of these new workers.
14. Put yourself in the candidate's place--where would they hear about you?
15. Investigate high school and post-secondary vocational education programs--DECA,
VICA, FHA, FFA, etc. (and if you don't know what they stand for--find out!)
16. Participate in Junior Achievement and other youth business education programs--it
helps establish the employer and the career choice in that student's mind.
17. See if your city has a business-education partnership for youth.
18. Consider
your image as an employer, and
develop strategies to enhance the image as an employer of choice.
19. Advertise in alternate sections of the newspaper.
20. Use different
newspapers to advertise your recruitment message--don't overlook the local
and community papers.
21. Place testimonial
advertisements.
22. Investigate the use of the papers sold in convenience stores such as the Thrifty Nickel or the Bargain Mart.
23. Use compelling graphics and ad copy.
24. Stress your benefits--sell the opportunity!
25. Use recruiting
advertising agencies for more effective advertising.
26.
Limit the number of recruiting messages used in one medium--you
don't want to appear desperate (even though you are!).
27. Use the media
to promote the benefits of working at your organization.
28. Offer coupons
in your newspaper ads for candidates to complete and mail in.
29. Staff your telephones on Sunday so that candidates can call in
for information at that time.
30. Use an 800
number so that out-of-town candidates can more easily contact you.
31.
Institute a recruitment hot line so
that interested individuals can call to get information on the kinds of
positions that are open.
32.
Use the Internet to publicize your
organization and specific job vacancies.
33.
Try a product advertising agency for
a fresh approach.
34.
Tap into your company's resources and work with your marketing/advertising departments for recruitment ideas.
35.
Investigate the use of cable television.
36.
Use radio with print advertising for
best results.
37.
Look into prime time television to
send your message.
38.
Hold an open house to attract career
shifters, or to fill multiple positions.
39.
Try a call-in open house by asking
candidates to call a number for more information.
40.
Join with other employers and participate in career fairs and job fairs.
41.
Set up your own career fair with your
local mall.
42.
Buy a recruiting booth when
participating in career fairs.
43.
Develop recruitment videos to play
at career fairs and open houses.
44.
Create recruitment literature for
use in all recruiting activities.
45.
Plan give-aways for candidates that
identify your organization (include contact information).
46.
Offer free career planning workshops to
the public--and at the end sell them on careers with your organization.
47.
Use posters and signs with tear-off
application forms in grocery stores, banks, community centers, laundromats,
churches.
48.
Try telemarketing--reaching your
prospective candidate by phone.
49.
Use traditional employment agencies to
find candidates.
50.
Investigate the use of agencies that conduct research for you.
51.
Work with agencies to conduct telemarketing
campaigns.
52.
Use vendors to establish a computerized
database resume retrieval system.
53.
Investigate the use of temporaries with
temporary placement agencies.
54.
Use leased employees.
55.
Try part-time employees and job sharing as
flexible means to attract a wider range of candidates.
56.
Investigate the use of telecommuters to
attract more job candidates.
57.
Offer flex-time as a staffing
alternative.
58.
Don't give up--persistence pays!
59.
Direct mail can be an excellent way
to target the candidates you need.
60.
Mail audio tapes instead of letters
to targeted candidates.
61.
Door hangers are another method to
use when you want to attract candidates from a geographic area.
62.
Use point of sale recruiting
messages.
63.
Enhance your employee referral program by
reminding employees through payroll stuffers, posters, and announcements at
staff meetings.
64.
Revamp your employee referral program, and use it only during peak need periods.
65.
Recruit in locations where you have a competitive
advantage.
66.
Use a mobile recruiting van.
67.
Advertise on mass transit.
68.
Lease a van to transport employees.
69.
Work with realtors on career
assistance for relocating spouses.
70.
Connect with Welcome Wagon in your
community to provide career assistance for relocating spouses.
71.
Offer employee housing when you are
in a remote location, or when housing costs are not affordable by job
candidates.
72.
Develop methods to effectively handle "walk-in"
candidates.
73.
Create a data bank for unsolicited
resumes.
74.
Advertise in trade journals and
professional publications.
75.
Work with professional organizations and
their placement services.
76.
Network with other professionals to
find top applicants.
77.
Check on business closings for
laid-off employees, and team up with outplacement
firms.
78.
Use airplane banners to send
messages at the beach or at sports events.
79.
Use highway billboards to display
recruitment messages.
80.
Highlight your message on electronic
billboards at sporting events.
81.
Display your message on kiosks located
in malls and airports.
82.
Try a cinema billboard to send your
message.
83.
Use magazine advertising to build
image.
84.
Recruit your customers by placing recruitment messages in with customer billings.
85.
Involve your customers in recruitment by implementing a customer referral program.
86.
Get your recruiting messages to the churches
in your area.
87.
Collaborate with other businesses in
your area for locating potential employees.
88.
Contact other divisions of your
organization for locating potential job candidates.
89.
Send recruiting messages on video tape to
prospective candidates.
90.
Look at recruitment as an on-going
effort, not a response to a job vacancy.
91.
Build college recruiting by
concentrating efforts on a fewer number of schools.
92.
Build relationships with colleges through intern
programs, scholarships, donations.
93.
Get involved with local high schools to build
your image.
94.
Use an outside management consultant to
assist you in developing creative, non-traditional strategies.
95.
Push top management for recruiting
dollars.
96.
Don't rely on any one method for
recruiting.
97.
Be creative--take risks!
98.
Dare to be different from your
competitors.
99.
Attend seminars and conferences on
recruitment.
100.
Involve the entire management team
in the recruitment process.
101.
Look to employee retention as the
long term recruitment solution.