Are you desperate for a qualified employee but don’t know how to reach them? Letting unfilled positions linger can ultimately stress out employees who have to do the work of two people. Here are five easy recruiting tips:

1. Hire From Within

Sometimes the best place to find an employee for a vacant position is already a member of your team. It can be easier to promote from within for a senior position than to start a search for qualified applicants. To find out if the potential job candidate is already working for you, let your staff know that there is a new position available. Hiring internally can help you target current employees who already know the intricacies of your business. It will also help cut down on the amount of time it takes for you to fill the position and to train them.

2. Write A Good Job Description

Write a precise job description that targets exactly what you want. Give the candidates who are reading your job descriptions the information they need to make an informed decision about the job. This will help them assess whether they are qualified for the job in both skill and temperament. Writing a concise and useful job description does two things:

  1. State exactly what you want from an employee then you’ll cut down on spurious job applications of unqualified applicants.
  2. A qualified candidate might be dissuaded if your job description is filled with fluff.

3. Specify Candidate Characteristics

List the exact attributes that you’re looking for in a candidate. Two traits you might consider looking at include:

  1. Does the applicant have decent job stability? You’ll want to focus on stable employees who have been in their position for at least one year. The less time a candidate has been at a position, the harder it is to gauge how well they’ve weathered seasonal fluctuations and other job challenges. You want to find candidates who will make your business more successful. An employee with a good track record of extended stints at each employer will be more likely to help your business generate more revenue.
  2. Does the applicant have the necessary “soft” skills for the job? You don’t want to hire someone with undesirable personality traits. A phone call is a great way to gauge personality as you can cover a lot with a simple call. Time is often wasted interviewing people who look good on paper but ultimately lack crucial social skills. You can avoid this by pre-screening candidates using a telephone interview. You can eliminate non-qualified candidates by posing some of the questions you’d ask in an interview over the phone. A phone interview also gives you the chance to ask job candidates what areas they need to improve upon.

A reference check is a great way to verify what the candidate is telling you. The best person to contact is a manager who your candidate reported to directly. References from work peers who the candidate did not report to will add very little value to your assessment.

4. Feature Job Advertisement

Post your job advertisement as many different places as you can. Some of the best places to post employment notices on the Internet include Indeed.com, Craigslist and LinkedIn. LinkedIn is also a useful site to visit for finding employees. LinkedIn allows individuals to display their previous experience and job skills on their profile page.

5. Hire An Employment Agency

Hiring an employment agency will allow you to focus on your core business while a placement firm finds the right person for your job. Recruiters can rely on their extensive database of potential job candidates and their industry experience when locating candidates. Hiring a job agency can take less time and money than seeking out the ideal job candidate yourself.

If you’d like help meeting your staff recruitment needs, please contact us today.