12 Hiring Methods You Should Know

There are many different types of recruiting methods that companies use to attract the best employees. Not every position has the same requirements, and every company has different needs. This means that the employer must use hiring tactics that suit their environment and appeal to the candidates they are looking for.

Depending on the function and department, different recruiting methods can be used within a company. If you e.g. For example, if you work in the manufacturing industry, you will have positions to fill in the areas of design, technology, marketing, sales, finance, administration and trades, from entry level to management level. You can't use the same hiring methods to find the best candidates for every department.

Which is better: internal or external recruiting measures?

Nobody is better than the other. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, depending on the company and the position being filled. So what's the difference? In short: When recruiting internally, you look for candidates for a position from your existing workforce. When recruiting externally, you leave outside your company to look for people you have never seen before.

Internal recruitment can mean a huge time saving as there is no lengthy interview and onboarding process. The downside is that keeping everything close to home can stifle new ideas, innovation and diversity.

The setting extern co-worker brings new ideas, a fresh approach and new energy. But it is a costly and time-consuming process. Before a hiring decision can be made, applicants must be searched, interviewed, evaluated and screened.

Top 12 Hiring Methods You Should Know

Every recruiter knows that while we'd like to plan ahead to fill vacancies within the best hiring time, things regularly don't go as we'd hoped. When under pressure, we fall back into old habits (which we know don't always work) because HR managers increase the pressure.

The temptation to advertise the position on every available job board and keep your fingers crossed that a great candidate will come forward is a common symptom of reactive recruiting. And sometimes we get lucky, but more often we don't.

Experienced recruiters know that they need to have an arsenal of quick options to target people in different ways. We would like to introduce you to the different types of recruiting you can use:

1. Direct advertising

Placing job advertisements on your careers site, job boards, social media, and industry publications is a great way to attract lots of applicants. This also makes your employer branding visible and strengthens your company's reputation. The downside is that external advertising can be very expensive.

If you don't target your ads, you could attract unsuitable applicants or receive too few applications.

2. Talent pool databases

You should always scan your talent pool databases for applicants and candidates who didn't get hired but were good enough to save. Most hiring decisions require you to choose between at least two or three applicants.

When a new position opens, you should search your talent pool for similar skills and experience. This way you can save yourself a lot of time.

3. Employee recommendations

Most companies have some sort of employee referral program. Employee referrals are a combination of internal and external recruiting. Existing employees are encouraged to recommend people they know for available positions.

The advantage is that it's cheap and quick, and you can be confident that staff won't recommend unsuitable candidates. In addition, the new employee already knows more about your company than an external applicant.

4. Boomerang employees

Rehiring former employees is becoming increasingly popular. So-called boomerang employees are people who worked well in a company but then left on good terms for a variety of reasons.

Employers recognize the value of rehiring because they know the employee's skills and they know and fit with the company culture. Rehiring a boomerang employee shortens time to hire, eliminates the risk of a bad hire, and reduces the cost per hire.

5. Promotions and transfers

Promotions and transfers are not quite the same thing, but the concept is the same. Internal employees are selected to fill open positions. A promotion means that the person in question moves up the career ladder, receives more responsibility and also gets a salary increase. A transfer usually does not involve more responsibility or more money, but rather a horizontal change.

Employees may be transferred to the same role in another office or region, or take on a similar position in another department or area.

6. Exchange of jobs

Although not possible in all countries, labor exchanges are mandatory in other countries. An employment agency is a government-run initiative that registers unemployed job seekers.

Employers report new job offers to the exchange and receive information about suitable applicants. Using an employment exchange is cost-effective, but is particularly suitable for lower-level positions in factories, agriculture and craft businesses.

7. Recruitment agencies

You can outsource your hiring process to a recruiting agency. The agencies take care of all the recruiting on your behalf. Although the cost of using an agency is high, it gives you more time for urgent tasks. Recruitment agencies are a good option for hard-to-fill positions and for companies that don't have the internal human resources to focus on hiring.

You can also hire an outside recruiter to contact specific people you want to attract to your company. Maybe you know a passive candidate who would be a perfect fit for your position, but they work for your competition. So you don't want to make direct contact. A recruiter or headhunter would be the perfect choice.

8. Professional associations

If you need to fill a highly qualified position, professional associations can be an excellent source of applicants. In many professions it is necessary for applicants to register with the relevant professional association once they have qualified.

There are also other organizations where registration is voluntary but increases the credibility of an applicant's qualifications. By working with these associations and organizations, you can connect with top talent.

9. Internships and apprenticeships

Offering internships and apprenticeships is a great way to learn about an individual's strengths and can be viewed as an interview. During the contact phase, supervisors and HR managers can assess the potential of interns and trainees who can be qualified and developed for future tasks.

Future leaders will have to start somewhere, and they will all initially be hired in an entry-level position. Well-run internship and training programs are fertile ground for identifying future talent and leaders.

10. Recruitment events

For large organizations or companies planning to expand, recruiting events are ideal for attracting the type of employees you need. Events can range from hosting open houses to attending job fairs to hosting a hackathon and recruiting graduates on campus. Events can be expensive.

To get the best ROI, you need to know exactly what type of applicants you want to attract and the value of your employer offer.

Job shadowing is another good way to get to know potential candidates. It's also a great way to promote your employer brand and let people know that your company supports talent development.

11. Word of mouth

Big brands and multinational companies can easily rely on word of mouth when hiring because they are approached daily by unsolicited job seekers. Their employer brand is established and they are known as an employer of choice. All they have to do is make it known that they are hiring new employees and they will get a good response.

This method can also work in remote areas where individual companies employ a significant percentage of the local population. Examples of this are mining companies and sawmills. And in small towns, businesses can also attract applicants on the street by spreading the word through the local grapevine.

12. Bulletin boards

There are still positions that can be advertised on bulletin boards. Typical examples include jobs in factories and agriculture. Unemployed people often wait at the factory gates for day or contact jobs to be advertised. In agriculture, seasonal workers gather at local markets or cooperatives to view job lists posted by local farms.