The process of recruitment and selection is one of the most important yet challenging processes in any organization. Finding those who stand out as the best fit for your company is often difficult. Although the corporate world has changed significantly in recent years, most firms still adhere to outdated methods of identifying and selecting candidates.
Below are some creative methods to include in your recruitment process that will help you tremendously in getting the best possible candidates from a large pool of applicants for your company's job listings.
1. Use self-selection to find those who are really interested
<link outdated - home link added>
To better separate the wheat from the chaff, you can add another layer between resume submission and the face-to-face job interview. One option is to invite all eligible candidates to an open group event. For example, out of over 1,000 applicants who were invited, only 300 actually attended. Those who came are genuinely interested in your job offer. It's easy to apply for a job, but often, only those who are truly interested accept the invitation and join the event. This self-selection method helps speed up the screening process. The open group event strategy also allows you to see how candidates interact in groups.
2. Request basic math to separate out thoughtless submissions
<link outdated - home link added>
Require basic math in cover letter submissions. This way, you can determine whether your applicants are paying attention to details and not just mass mailing their cover letters. Viktor Nagornyy, founder of Viktorix, an event planning guide, applied this method when hiring freelancers. He required a solution to the math problem 2*2+2 for every cover letter submission. Those who refused to answer or got it wrong were immediately rejected.
3. Invite candidates to work for a day
Another great tactic for filtering good candidates is to invite a few of them to work for one day. This allows you to observe their working style, interaction with your team, etc. It also gives them a chance to get an idea of your working environment and culture and see whether it's something they desire to pursue further. This is a quick but effective way to find the best potential employees.
4. Require homework
<link outdated - home link added>
A good-looking resume and great interview sometimes don't reveal how a potential recruit will perform once they are working full-time. If you want to know how your candidate will perform, ask them to do some homework. From that unpaid assignment, you will learn who is passionate and who has been seriously thinking about your firm and the job they will need to carry out. You will be able to remove many candidates because some simply will not do the assignment or will give an excuse for why they can't do it.
Homework will also tell you a lot about the candidate's attention to detail, creativity, ability to think critically, and how they communicate an idea.
5. Test integrity and stamina
[IMG]http://vnmanpower.com/upload_images/images/Blog/5ox8mmM%20-%20Imgur.gif[/IMG]
You can test your candidate's integrity by asking them whether you can tell their former employer about things like their capability, etc. If they say they want to keep it quiet because they don't want to bother their employer, this may be a fail. By contrast, if they agree or want to ask to speak to their former employer first to ensure their employer is okay to talk with you, that is a win.
For their stamina, if your candidates can work consistently at a full-time job during the day and then turn up at your office and work there until midnight, you know they have the stamina to work long hours when required.
6. Ask candidates to interview your team members
<link outdated - home link added>
The interview process should involve the candidate selecting you, just as much as you selecting the candidate. When you recruit someone who sincerely wants to work for you, you will see higher productivity and devotion from that person. When a candidate interviews a member of your team on why they should choose to work for your firm, you see the needs and goals of that candidate, and the candidate also better understands if/how you can help them with their goals. If you feel that you can't help the candidate reach their goal, you should move on to the next one.
7. Arrange group interaction
Interactive interviews are a really effective way to see your potential candidates' character, interest level, work knowledge, and communication skills. This also enables you to decide whether they fit into the puzzle.
The interactive interview can be held in different fashions, but the basic feature is inviting select candidates for a group session where you and current workers can engage with them. For example, I Love Rewards Inc., a consulting firm in Wellesley, Mass., and Toronto, used the speed-dating interview to find the best candidates. In a few hours, over 30 employees arranged the two-story office. The first floor was intended for employees mingling with candidates. The second floor was the speed-dating area where the prospects had one-on-one contact with the company's employees for a few minutes. This was perfectly systematic as everyone had a time slot. In just a few minutes with some questions, you could see if the candidates were right for the role and enthusiastic enough to engage in the corporate tasks. For a more creative approach, you can set up various activities that will give you a better idea of each individual's knowledge and passion for the industry and their personality alike.
8. Become a hirer of choice at select colleges
Recruiting fresh graduates is a powerful way to get workers that you can train to fit your needs. Often, younger talent brings much-needed energy and innovation to the workplace. Focus on building a relationship with a specific college that you see has the biggest pool of possible candidates. Engage in activities such as sponsoring events, offering free training, and hosting competitions to approach the right candidates.
9. Focus more on culture fit than skill set
[IMG]http://vnmanpower.com/upload_images/images/Blog/culture-fit.jpg[/IMG]
Focus more on culture fit than skills when evaluating candidates. A worker who is a better cultural fit is more likely to show better performance in your organization. While you can always train staff to help them hone the necessary skills, it is more challenging to find the right cultural fit.
10. Handpick your ideal candidates and show them you want them
[IMG]http://vnmanpower.com/upload_images/images/Blog/employed.jpg[/IMG]
Passive candidates who are already hired and not actively hunting for a job are most likely to be your dream recruits, but you will never attract them unless you let them know how much you want them.
Reaching out in a really personal fashion demonstrates that you are willing to try very hard to get their attention.
Red 5 Studios, Inc., a video game company based in Laguna Hills, California, handpicked up to 100 ideal candidates and got to know them by researching their social media profiles and previous work. Then this company sent a personalized iPod equipped with a warm welcome from the CEO to each one. The result is that up to 90 recipients responded to that invitation, 3 left their jobs to join the company, and many more potential recruits discovered the firm through word-of-mouth buzz produced by the search.
11. Hunt for talent in unlikely places
Local retail stores and restaurants can be such unexpected places. Quicken Loans - America's largest online lender, once sent their employees out to such places to interact with workers and interview those that really stand out. This method helped hire quickly and maintain its corporate culture at the same time. The company can find those with passion, urgency, and willingness to make more effort than expected.
This method is similar to how entertainment companies find future talent singers and actors. They assign their employees to spot talent at school gates, restaurants, streets, or the like instead of just focusing on fixed recruitment periods.
12. Attend events that aren't job fairs
[IMG]http://vnmanpower.com/upload_images/images/Blog/job-fair.jpg[/IMG]
Job fairs are sometimes really effective, but...
They sometimes turn out to be somewhat useless because the best candidates perhaps already have a job. That's why you should try looking for talent at other events that aren't traditionally related to recruitment. For instance, if you need a graphic designer in New York City, you can partake in a graphic design-focused meet-up in the area and look for potential candidates. You will already know they are enthusiastic about what they do, and you will now be able to get a feel for what they are like in person.
13. Shine out with non-traditional media
Instead of a written job description on a job search site, you can utilize a video or podcast to make your company's job hiring stand out. Using non-traditional recruitment media will also be a chance for you to convey things about your company culture to job seekers.
Or you can think outside the box with totally creative job recruitment ads like:
The creative job recruitment ads to inspire you
Source: 26 Surprisingly Creative Methods of Recruitment and Selection for 2015 (Part 1)
Below are some creative methods to include in your recruitment process that will help you tremendously in getting the best possible candidates from a large pool of applicants for your company's job listings.
1. Use self-selection to find those who are really interested
<link outdated - home link added>
To better separate the wheat from the chaff, you can add another layer between resume submission and the face-to-face job interview. One option is to invite all eligible candidates to an open group event. For example, out of over 1,000 applicants who were invited, only 300 actually attended. Those who came are genuinely interested in your job offer. It's easy to apply for a job, but often, only those who are truly interested accept the invitation and join the event. This self-selection method helps speed up the screening process. The open group event strategy also allows you to see how candidates interact in groups.
2. Request basic math to separate out thoughtless submissions
<link outdated - home link added>
Require basic math in cover letter submissions. This way, you can determine whether your applicants are paying attention to details and not just mass mailing their cover letters. Viktor Nagornyy, founder of Viktorix, an event planning guide, applied this method when hiring freelancers. He required a solution to the math problem 2*2+2 for every cover letter submission. Those who refused to answer or got it wrong were immediately rejected.
3. Invite candidates to work for a day
Another great tactic for filtering good candidates is to invite a few of them to work for one day. This allows you to observe their working style, interaction with your team, etc. It also gives them a chance to get an idea of your working environment and culture and see whether it's something they desire to pursue further. This is a quick but effective way to find the best potential employees.
4. Require homework
<link outdated - home link added>
A good-looking resume and great interview sometimes don't reveal how a potential recruit will perform once they are working full-time. If you want to know how your candidate will perform, ask them to do some homework. From that unpaid assignment, you will learn who is passionate and who has been seriously thinking about your firm and the job they will need to carry out. You will be able to remove many candidates because some simply will not do the assignment or will give an excuse for why they can't do it.
Homework will also tell you a lot about the candidate's attention to detail, creativity, ability to think critically, and how they communicate an idea.
5. Test integrity and stamina
[IMG]http://vnmanpower.com/upload_images/images/Blog/5ox8mmM%20-%20Imgur.gif[/IMG]
You can test your candidate's integrity by asking them whether you can tell their former employer about things like their capability, etc. If they say they want to keep it quiet because they don't want to bother their employer, this may be a fail. By contrast, if they agree or want to ask to speak to their former employer first to ensure their employer is okay to talk with you, that is a win.
For their stamina, if your candidates can work consistently at a full-time job during the day and then turn up at your office and work there until midnight, you know they have the stamina to work long hours when required.
6. Ask candidates to interview your team members
<link outdated - home link added>
The interview process should involve the candidate selecting you, just as much as you selecting the candidate. When you recruit someone who sincerely wants to work for you, you will see higher productivity and devotion from that person. When a candidate interviews a member of your team on why they should choose to work for your firm, you see the needs and goals of that candidate, and the candidate also better understands if/how you can help them with their goals. If you feel that you can't help the candidate reach their goal, you should move on to the next one.
7. Arrange group interaction
Interactive interviews are a really effective way to see your potential candidates' character, interest level, work knowledge, and communication skills. This also enables you to decide whether they fit into the puzzle.
The interactive interview can be held in different fashions, but the basic feature is inviting select candidates for a group session where you and current workers can engage with them. For example, I Love Rewards Inc., a consulting firm in Wellesley, Mass., and Toronto, used the speed-dating interview to find the best candidates. In a few hours, over 30 employees arranged the two-story office. The first floor was intended for employees mingling with candidates. The second floor was the speed-dating area where the prospects had one-on-one contact with the company's employees for a few minutes. This was perfectly systematic as everyone had a time slot. In just a few minutes with some questions, you could see if the candidates were right for the role and enthusiastic enough to engage in the corporate tasks. For a more creative approach, you can set up various activities that will give you a better idea of each individual's knowledge and passion for the industry and their personality alike.
8. Become a hirer of choice at select colleges
Recruiting fresh graduates is a powerful way to get workers that you can train to fit your needs. Often, younger talent brings much-needed energy and innovation to the workplace. Focus on building a relationship with a specific college that you see has the biggest pool of possible candidates. Engage in activities such as sponsoring events, offering free training, and hosting competitions to approach the right candidates.
9. Focus more on culture fit than skill set
[IMG]http://vnmanpower.com/upload_images/images/Blog/culture-fit.jpg[/IMG]
Focus more on culture fit than skills when evaluating candidates. A worker who is a better cultural fit is more likely to show better performance in your organization. While you can always train staff to help them hone the necessary skills, it is more challenging to find the right cultural fit.
10. Handpick your ideal candidates and show them you want them
[IMG]http://vnmanpower.com/upload_images/images/Blog/employed.jpg[/IMG]
Passive candidates who are already hired and not actively hunting for a job are most likely to be your dream recruits, but you will never attract them unless you let them know how much you want them.
Reaching out in a really personal fashion demonstrates that you are willing to try very hard to get their attention.
Red 5 Studios, Inc., a video game company based in Laguna Hills, California, handpicked up to 100 ideal candidates and got to know them by researching their social media profiles and previous work. Then this company sent a personalized iPod equipped with a warm welcome from the CEO to each one. The result is that up to 90 recipients responded to that invitation, 3 left their jobs to join the company, and many more potential recruits discovered the firm through word-of-mouth buzz produced by the search.
11. Hunt for talent in unlikely places
Local retail stores and restaurants can be such unexpected places. Quicken Loans - America's largest online lender, once sent their employees out to such places to interact with workers and interview those that really stand out. This method helped hire quickly and maintain its corporate culture at the same time. The company can find those with passion, urgency, and willingness to make more effort than expected.
This method is similar to how entertainment companies find future talent singers and actors. They assign their employees to spot talent at school gates, restaurants, streets, or the like instead of just focusing on fixed recruitment periods.
12. Attend events that aren't job fairs
[IMG]http://vnmanpower.com/upload_images/images/Blog/job-fair.jpg[/IMG]
Job fairs are sometimes really effective, but...
They sometimes turn out to be somewhat useless because the best candidates perhaps already have a job. That's why you should try looking for talent at other events that aren't traditionally related to recruitment. For instance, if you need a graphic designer in New York City, you can partake in a graphic design-focused meet-up in the area and look for potential candidates. You will already know they are enthusiastic about what they do, and you will now be able to get a feel for what they are like in person.
13. Shine out with non-traditional media
Instead of a written job description on a job search site, you can utilize a video or podcast to make your company's job hiring stand out. Using non-traditional recruitment media will also be a chance for you to convey things about your company culture to job seekers.
Or you can think outside the box with totally creative job recruitment ads like:
The creative job recruitment ads to inspire you
Source: 26 Surprisingly Creative Methods of Recruitment and Selection for 2015 (Part 1)