Your business is only as effective as the people you hire. Talented, engaged employees are more productive, improve the efficiency of your daily operations, and can help you achieve a higher ROI on all your projects.
However, the job market is extremely competitive at the moment. 51 million Americans now freelance or work for themselves, and all employees are in search of a better work-life balance with higher pay.
As a recruiter, you have to get creative if you want to land top talent. Generic job listings no longer cut it and folks will see through flimsy recruiting strategies. You have to go above and beyond applicants’ expectations and should make the application process as painless as possible.
Graphic Design and Branding
Effective branding is worth its weight in gold during the recruitment process. Your business’s brand identity during recruiting can promote your company’s values and give you a clear sense of direction while you’re creating this type of content.
A strong brand identity matters to employees and applicants, too. Employees who are engaged with the brand are more likely to spread goodwill to your consumers and engage with your branded content online. As Maha AlQattan explains, effective branding “creates a sense of belonging” and gives employees the chance to feel part of something bigger than themselves.
However, effective branding is about agreeing on fonts and color schemes. To create an attractive brand, you have to stay up to date with the latest trends in graphic design. If it’s been a while since you updated your brand, consider design styles like:
- “Hand-drawn” illustrations
- Minimalism
- Nature-inspired design
- Serifed fonts
You can also utilize emerging artificial intelligence (AI) software to generate some ideas and help refine your brand identity. Consider inputting a few key phrases and ideas to see what AI generators think of your brand.
Go beyond LinkedIn and Indeed when advertising your job opening. Consider working with social media influencers who can speak positively about your brand and reach younger folks on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Social media is a great place to advertise your opening and find talented applicants who are tech-savvy and social-media literate.
Before you go live with a new recruitment brand, consult your current employees and see if they have any suggestions. You may find that existing employees have important insights that appeal to prospective applicants.
AR and VR
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) software has largely been seen as a gimmick in the business world. However, increased adoption and AI integration mean that AR and VR headsets can become an important part of your recruitment drive.
Consider using VR when giving prospective employees a tour of your premises. VR is great for attracting talent as you can use headsets to recreate the work environment and explain typical scenarios to applicants. Virtual tours can save you — and your applicants — plenty of time and cash.
AR can be used during the onboarding process, too. AR glasses give your new hires access to the cloud, where they can find training documents and information while they work. This can streamline the training process and help staff become independent more quickly. Cloud-integrated AR can also improve collaboration in the workplace, which is a major selling point for prospective hires.
Improve Your Application Process
The application process isn’t meant to be a gauntlet designed to test prospective employees’ patience. Needlessly difficult application forms turn talent away in droves, too. 57% of applicants lose interest in a job if the application process takes too long and many simply close application portals if they have to jump through unnecessary hoops.
Before sending out your application materials, consider the labor that you are asking of applicants. Is it reasonable to expect someone who is working a full-time job to complete your application, or are you asking too much? Do you really need applicants to write several essay-length responses, or can you find the relevant information in their CVs?
Consider revising your interview process before asking applicants to come into the office. Pre-screen applicants before you ask for face-to-face interviews and invite open-ended conversations where possible. Opt for more creative interview questions, like “What is the biggest misconception people have about you?” or “what is your natural strength?” for example.
Skill Tests
If you’re keen on a candidate, you may want to put them to the test before they sign on the dotted line. Skill tests can be a great way to ensure that folks are up to the task but should be used with caution.
If you ask an applicant to complete a skill test, you should pay them for their time. Talented employees will not complete unpaid labor and look poorly upon your business if you ask them to do so. Pay the going rate for an hour’s worth of work, regardless of whether an applicant is successful or not.
Consider switching up your typical skill test if you want to improve engagement. For example, if you’re hiring someone for a leadership position, go beyond the standard tools like Harvard’s Implicit Association Test. Set folks up in role-playing scenarios, or have them run a tabletop game for a group of current employees.
Observe how applicants behave during their skill test and ask them to reflect on how they completed the tasks you set them. Oftentimes, the way an applicant reflects on the task is more indicative of their potential than their actual performance during the test. Ask questions that force folks to complete metacognition to see how applicants think when tasked with a challenging problem.
Conclusion
The job market is extremely competitive at the moment. As a recruiter, you need to do your utmost to brand your business in a way that appeals to talented applicants. Follow current graphic design trends when designing content and work with an influencer to find tech-savvy talent.
Use VR and AR during the application and selection process. This can reduce recruiting costs and shows employees that you are a forward-thinking, tech-oriented workspace. If possible, give prospective applicants a few creative skill tests, and ask applicants to reflect on their experience following the test.
