Recruiters have a number of venues and mediums for attracting qualified applicants. Although online recruiting often is an easily accessible and convenient method, there are various creative ways to source candidates. Enthusiastic job seekers — active and passive candidates — are literally everywhere on the Internet, in professional associations and at schools and technical institutes looking forward to hearing from recruiters about job opportunities.
Schools and Colleges
Recruiters contact school career counselors to identify top students. They often are frequent campus visitors, conducting job fairs to attract students enthusiastic about launching their careers right out of school. Colleges and universities are ideal sources for two primary reasons. Recruiters have access to candidates in specific fields, such as engineering, law or business administration. Also, recruiters seeking diverse candidates can pinpoint universities with multicultural student populations, such as historically black colleges and universities, and universities with American Indian and Alaska Native students, such as Haskell Indian Nations University. Recruiters looking for certified tradespeople, such as cosmetologists, bricklayers and technology gurus, are successful in finding candidates at technical institutes and through apprentice training programs.
Professional Networking Sites
Many recruiters say LinkedIn is one of the most effective professional networking sites, according to Lou Adler, named one of the top recruiters in the United States, and author of “Why Real Recruiters Rank LinkedIn #1” on ERE.net. Adler advocates professional networking sites as premium space for passive candidates. Adler cites statistics contained in his December 2010 LinkedIn white paper titled “The Job-Seeking Status of the Fully-Employed” that indicate 82 percent of workers classify themselves as somewhat passive candidates to “super passive” candidates who would be open to a fruitful conversation with a recruiter.
Also Read: HRCI Professional in Human Resources (PHR)
Resume Databases
Internet job posting site Indeed.com launched its resume database in September 2011, creating a resource packed with millions of resumes for recruiters. Job seekers post their resumes for potential employers to search, using specific terms related to job requirements. Recruiters must pay a fee for many databases; however, many others — such as Indeed.com — have free access. Recruiters can perform searches in their local commuting area for active job seekers or search nationwide for hard-to-fill jobs.
Professional Associations
Many recruiters attend professional association meetings and conferences to attract candidates. For example, joining the Society for Human Resource Management or the Association of Women Lawyers can put recruiters in touch with active job seekers and passive candidates. A benefit of membership is that recruiters can increase their access to potential candidates who are fully engaged in their disciplines and career fields. Attending group meetings, interacting with other recruiters who belong to these professional associations and sponsoring booths at association conferences are effective ways to identify qualified applicants.
Job Posting
The tried-and-true method for HR recruitment is Internet job posting. A plethora of websites are available to recruiters and job seekers. Job seekers who access postings and online advertisements typically are redirected to the employer’s website to complete the online application process. Job seekers can view job vacancies on aggregator job posting sites, such as Indeed, Glassdoor and Monster, or visit the employer’s website directly to apply for open positions.
