Even before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the global economy, recruiting the right candidate was always challenging. However, some positions are more complicated to fill than others, especially highly technical ones. Hard-to-fill roles typically require a narrow skill set, a specific type of expertise, or demands within a particular niche.
Most companies often find it challenging to fill these job roles because the talent pool is often much more limited in terms of volume. In some cases, even if the right skills are in short supply or another reason is at play, hard-to-fill positions often require clever strategies and creative approaches during the hiring process. Here are five useful recruiting tips for hard-to-fill roles:
1. Plan a strategy
Not having a clear hiring plan is one of the biggest mistakes a company can make. Before you rush out advertising jobs on every job search platform, perhaps sit down and consider why you may be having problems filling the position and what you could do to address it instead. This assessment is an excellent time to evaluate your current hiring process and find opportunities for improvement. Include a realistic budget for recruitment marketing and referral bonuses, or even hire a specialist recruitment agency like Aurora Talent to assist with the placement of "hard-to-fill" roles. From there, craft a strategic recruitment plan
2. Build your social media presence
Social media will always play an influential role in our lives, so it is essential to keep up-to-date. Platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook have been around for decades, yet they still play a vital role in hiring and representing the company's brand and work culture. Consistently updating your company's social media accounts with postings showing what it's like to work at your company is vital. This will attract the right talents to your company, especially younger ones.
3. Look for transferable skills
Another way to find talent is by identifying other industries with similar skill sets. This is because when there’s nobody available to do a job, you need to think outside the box to see if there’s a similar job being done elsewhere. To attract candidates with the right transferable skills, it can help to focus on specific soft skills such as communication, self-motivation or the ability to work under pressure rather than industry experience. You can transfer this language into your job ad and interview questions
4. Customise the job description
A job description is essential to attract the best talent, yet too many hiring managers rely on the cut-and-paste method of long, outdated job descriptions. What may have appealed to applicants ten years ago may not be as attractive now. Everything from the content to the language is essential and will certainly determine the quality of applicants you receive. Remember to be concise, compelling and truthful when describing a job position.
5. Partner with a specialist recruiting agency
Partnering with a specialist recruiting agency can help quicken the process of finding the right candidate, incredibly when filling hard-to-fill positions. At Aurora Talent, we specialise in providing excellent service to our clients with the placement of ‘hard-to-fill’ roles by utilising our industry expertise, market intelligence and global knowledge built through years of networking and research. Following a robust recruitment approach, we are relied upon to deliver exceptional solutions, establishing our reputation as a preferred partner to many clients for permanent and contract hiring.