Finding Potential Employees

CareerBuilder’s advice for building an employer brand is equally applicable to getting the word out about a job opportunity, “Be everywhere.”^[1] Job candidates search for jobs using multiple points of contact including college and company career pages, job boards, and social media sites as well as attending live events like job fairs.

If the possibilities seem overwhelming, use the candidate research you conducted to narrow the options. That is, if you have a clear understanding of who your ideal candidate is, you can use that information to inform your choice of touch points.

Most recruiters use multiple channels to find and recruit job candidates.

• Organization’s website: Most companies have a section on their website devoted to “Careers” or “Jobs” that includes current job openings.
• Online job boards: Employers can list jobs on sites like LinkedIn or Indeed and can search through resumes to find potential employees.
• Recruitment agencies or staffing firms:  Organizations can engage external companies to help them find qualified candidates but there usually is a cost for these services. Sometimes these outside partners are called “headhunters.”
• Employee referrals: Many companies have employee referral programs where existing employees can recommend candidates for open positions.
• Live events: Job fairs, career expos, on-campus recruiting, and industry events provide opportunities for companies to meet potential candidates face-to-face and promote their job openings.

Targeting Applicants via Social Media^[2]

Which social media platform is the best means of connecting with potential employees? You’ll want to know who is more likely to see your content on the different platforms.

• Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok are favored by adults under 30.
• Americans ages 30 to 49 stand out for using LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and Facebook at higher rates.
• YouTube and Facebook are the only two platforms that the majority of all age groups use.

For other insights about social media use, see the Pew Research Center’s full report,  Americans’ Social Media Use.

Employee Referrals

In many cases, jobs are opened up to internal candidates before they are advertised to the wider world. When that happens, jobs are advertised through company newsletters and bulletin boards.

In hiring, you should also consider candidates suggested by existing employees. Employee referrals are one of the best sources of qualified candidates. In Fundamentals of Human Resource Management, the authors state that:

Employee referrals tend to be more acceptable applicants, who are more likely to accept an offer and, once employed, have a higher job survival rate.

Three issues to be aware of with regard to employee referrals:

1. An employee might mistakenly assume job performance competence based on friendship.
2. Employee referrals may lead to nepotism, or hiring individuals who are related to persons already employed by the company.
3. Employee referrals might maintain existing conditions instead of promoting a goal of increased diversity.

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