How to Attract Your Ideal Candidate in 5 Steps

January 7, 2020

The U.S. jobs sector is currently booming, with unemployment the lowest it has been in 18 years. While this is fantastic for the economy, for those looking to hire talent, it can pose a challenge. A candidate-driven market doesn’t have to be all bad, though. At Pinnacle Consulting & Recruitment, we know how to recruit in difficult times. Here are 5 things Pinnacle has learned over the years for attracting your ideal candidate in a candidate-driven market:

Identify Your Ideal Candidate

You won’t be able to find the perfect match if you don’t know what you are looking for. Sit down with your hiring team and talk about what soft skills and technical qualities an ideal candidate possesses. Identifying what you are looking for narrows the field and helps you save time.

Strategy Reduces Stress

Whether you are hiring for an open position or creating one, searching for a new team member puts stress on existing employees. The HR department has to take on a new task, and if the company is short-staffed, the rest of your team has additional work to do. If you will be hiring, creating a talent pool reduces the strain on your company. Gathering resumes from interested candidates, identifying internal talent to promote, and pulling previous applicant resumes that were impressive creates a pool of quality options.

Write a Job Description You Would Want to Apply For

Candidates are looking at dozens of job descriptions every day. If your company doesn’t distinguish itself, more than likely your ideal candidate will pass it by. Don’t be afraid to break the mold. Let the applicants know what makes your company great and why they should apply. Be succinct, and use that space wisely. Leave them excited about the opportunity, and if they need to contact you for more information, they will.

Be Upfront

Your company knows what it’s looking for, and the candidates know what they bring to the table. Respect their experience, and they will respect the time you took to find them. Be honest about job requirements, and do market research to ensure the salary is fair. A candidate who is the right fit for your company will want an accurate picture of your business.

Remove Obstacles to Application

Many potential employees see the application process as a reflection of company culture. If it takes 3 hours to apply, they likely won’t even bother. Take the time to make sure your application portal on your website is seamless and the process itself is smooth. That way, you can evaluate a true pool of candidates, not just the ones who were stubborn enough to make it through. Plus, it’s important to have a website that looks like a functional business runs it. You catch more flies with honey, as they say.

Get Out What You Put In

Finding quality talent in a candidate-driven market isn’t easy. But if you rush the process, you will get applicants that reflect the effort you put in. Taking the time to refine your process yields candidates that will improve your business and stick around longer. It is worth the effort to do something well once, versus having to redo the entire process 6 months down the road.

Pinnacle Consulting & Recruitment knows how to attract quality talent in any market. We have been placing top-level candidates in the Pittsburgh area for years. To find out more about how you can find the ideal candidate or more about Pinnacle, contact us through our website or call us
at (412) 343-6300.

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