How To Fill a Difficult Position

Hiring is challenging in today’s market. Unemployment recently fell to 5.9%, the lowest level since 2008. In today’s labor market, nearly half of all positions advertised online stay open 90 days or longer, and hiring managers have to review an average of 250 resumes for each ad. Is it any wonder then that employers have had to do a lot more than simply put out the help wanted sign and wait for the perfect candidate to walk through the door?

Savvy Fishing

Experts recommend “fishing where the fish are.” Determine where the ideal candidates for your company will be, either online or physically. If you’re in the market for technical talent, drop by a hackathon or demo day. If you’re looking for someone in sales, a trade show would be a great place to see someone in their element and get a sense of how they deal with customers. Looking for someone with a niche passion? There’s likely a meetup, fan page or seminar about it.

But the increased market competition means your competitors will be doing the same thing. You need to reach talent pools that your competitors aren’t tapping. Vast public networks of talent, like those found on LinkedIn, Monster and Indeed, have taken a back-seat to internal referral and targeted recruiting.

Baiting the Hook

Showcasing your company culture can help. Workplace flexibility, a fun environment, a recruiting process focused on candidate experience –all of these can help you create distinction for your employer brand that sets you apart from the other firms chasing highly sought-after candidates. Above all, define the position, its roles, its team structure and its culture. Nothing loses great people’s interest like vague or uninspiring narratives about a job. If you can’t get excited, they can’t either.

Rethinking your employer brand or creating a targeted opportunity marketing plan can seem like a daunting task when you’re doing it alone, but AppleOne has been working with our partner clients to successfully market their brand and opportunities for decades.

The employment world is changing. Competition for the best talent has never been fiercer – or more complex. The great candidates are out there, but you have to work harder and smarter to find them, attract them and keep them. With the right expertise and the right processes, you can win the war for talent.