Scale Up Recruitment from Local to National in 3 Simple Steps

You’ve got to grips with local recruitment, but as your business is scaling up, you’ve realised that you need to start sourcing talent nationally to get the best possible candidates. As an employer, you definitely have the upper hand when it comes to the jobs market. Attracting candidates is easy, the hard part is making sure that your company and job openings are getting the exposure they need to reach the right people. Here’s how to scale up your recruitment from local to national in three simple steps.

Utilise Social Media

Social media is a powerful tool which is not to be underestimated. You can start your national recruitment strategy in-house by utilising your business’ social media platforms. Firstly, ensure that your company brand is consistent across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and any other platforms you are using. To recruit professional staff, your business needs to look the part.

Well maintained social media channels can be the answer to finding candidates from across the nation when you have a job opening. By networking with the right people and letting the nation know about your great company culture, you will get increased exposure and be an attractive prospect to potential candidates. Post regular updates promoting your employee work culture, follow other people in your niche including businesses and blogs, and engage in conversations relating to your field.

When advertising a job via social media, one of the most effective platforms is LinkedIn. Over 1.9 million people connect with companies on LinkedIn as it allows you to post job openings, search by keywords and target people in a specific field. Joining groups relating to your company’s field is a good way to hunt out talent. Many people contribute in these groups and when someone impresses you with their comments, you can read through their profile to see if their experience meets your requirements before sending them a message. There are also specialist social media sites (such as Medium for writers and Doctors Hangout for doctors and medical students) that you can use to find a collection of candidates with specific skills.

Advertise on National Jobs Boards

For many employers this will most likely be the first step to upping your recruiting from local to national. Though you can post ads for free on online listings such as Craigslist, this isn’t always a good idea. You’ll certainly get a lot of exposure but you’re likely to find that the time spent sifting through the massive surge of replies is fruitless, as very few candidates will meet the job criteria. A more effective strategy is to choose a national jobs board which applies to your niche.

Though big name jobs boards, like Monster and Indeed, may have attractive candidate figures it’s important to remember that many of those candidates won’t be relevant to the job role you have on offer, let alone your industry. Smaller, specialist job boards ensure your job ad targets the right people. For example, Culintro can be used to list culinary jobs and Jobs4Medical for the healthcare industry. Experts have commented that niche job boards tend to result in applications from higher quality candidates with more relevant skill sets. There’s also that added benefit of less time being wasted sorting through a mountain of unsuitable applications.

Develop a Rapport with University Placement Offices

The secret to hiring successful employees, especially if your company is one of the small fish in a big pond, is not to compete for talent. Instead of trying to poach employees from other similar companies or even undercutting your competitors, focus your energy on finding fresh, new talent. Invest time in communicating with university placement offices who will be the first to know about talented, soon-to-be graduates looking for entry-level jobs.

Though taking on first timers can be a risky strategy, there are ways to minimise the risk. Running a lecture or attending a careers fair at universities which specialise in the field you’re recruiting for is a good way to meet students who are dedicated to their chosen career path. These are excellent opportunities to not only scout for talent but also to get your company name out there.

Another good strategy is to offer internships. Many university students are interested in plumping up their CV by undertaking work experience placements during their holiday time. This strategy is cost effective and is a great way to keep your options open long-term. Many undergraduates will be interested in offers from employees for when they do graduate and if you can be the first in there, your chances of hiring the best new talent in the field will be boosted significantly.

Ron Stewart | CEO Jobs4Medical | Jobs4Medical

Ron Stewart has worked in the recruitment industry for 30 years, having owned companies in the IT, Construction and Medical sectors. He is currently running the Jobs4Group, and is CEO of Jobs4Medical.