7 Talent Acquisition Strategies to Hire the Best Candidates

What is Talent Acquisition Strategy?

There is a rising demand for highly skilled labour. And there is no denying that the recruitment landscape keeps changing. The employers have a tough time finding the ideal candidate for a specific position. They look for the best and most talented employees to succeed long term. This is why they need talent acquisition strategies to meet their organizational needs. Whether you are an employer or a recruiter, consider the aspects of talent acquisition and see how it changes your hiring process.

Talent acquisition strategy involves the process of recruiting the best people to work for your company. So, it is critical for employers to devise a strategic long-term structured hiring process to ensure top talent acquisition and retention. Talent acquisition is an ongoing strategy of identifying skillsets for specific job roles in your organization. It is time to hire skilled workers in alignment with your company’s business goals.

Why defining Talent Acquisition Strategy is Important?

Many companies are struggling to hire top talent as the talent acquisition process is undergoing a major upheaval with the rising demand for cutting-edge skills. So, the talent acquisition strategy of a company should be planned efficiently to identify, attract and retain the most qualified candidates for a given role.

Talent acquisition teams are responsible for developing employer branding, identifying, attracting and hiring skilled people. Employer branding and company culture are interconnected and critical for your business as they improve your quality-of-hire and impact hiring process.

We have listed 7 critical talent acquisition strategies to ensure you hire the right talent from your talent pool.

1. Align your recruitment objectives with your business goals

Acquiring the right talent can be a daunting task. Employers must decide the type of candidates they want to attract and how to reach targeted individuals without compromising on their business goals. The first step in the hiring process is to establish recruitment objectives. These objectives should be aligned with the strategic goals of the organization. The clear-cut objectives will lead to effective workforce planning.

2. Create a transparent employer branding

LinkedIn study says that 80% of talent acquisition managers believe that employer branding has a huge impact on their ability to acquire top talent.  Employer branding is crucial for creating a successful talent acquisition strategy. Create a transparent employer brand and keep the candidates informed about what your company stands for and what it delivers to its employees.

3. Improve candidate experience

It is evident that the current job market is candidate-driven. That’s why it is necessary for your company to start improving the candidate experience. Here the candidate experience means the overall perception of your company’s hiring process. Remember, candidates who have a positive experience will likely refer others to your company thereby you will grow your talent pool and enhance your employer brand.

Below are some of the easy steps to improve the candidate experience.

• Create an accurate and clear job description
• Improve your career page on the website
• Avoid lengthy application process
• Make use of the inbound marketing approach
• Communicate with your candidates regularly

4. Recognize recruiting challenges

Recruiting the right talent is not always a breeze. Many times, candidates are not sure about the job descriptions as they are not clear. Ensure that the job descriptions are clear, providing all the details to the candidates. And it is essential to have two-way communication at every stage of the hiring process.

One of the best recruitment methods to overcome recruiting challenges is to build a talent pool. Diversify your recruitment strategies by using social media to post jobs or promote your company. Ensure that the candidates have a great interview experience so that they don’t lose interest in the opportunity.

5. Enhance teamwork among hiring teams

The candidates quite often slip through the hiring funnel because of the template-based job descriptions that are not in line with the job role. Companies must create job descriptions with reasonable expectations. The collaboration among hiring managers and HR teams is much needed as they can create the right job descriptions and target the right channels. So, you can land more qualified candidates into the hiring funnel. Collaborative recruiting is the need of the hour. It is one of the best strategies for talent acquisition.

6. Embrace AI

Traditional recruiting is tiresome. Gone are the days when the HR team heavily relied on data-driven excel spreadsheets. The automation of activities relieves all the burden by achieving outcomes that go beyond human capabilities. The shift to AI will allow companies to make high-quality predictions from sources like ATS and CRM. It works as a personal assistant doing the recruiting process to qualify, engage and nurture quality candidates. Though machines streamline tasks, you are the one who collaborates with hiring managers and engages with candidates.

7. Adopt a structured hiring process

The hiring process should be done in an organized way. You need to have a deliberate process in place to assess the candidates. The talent acquisition team helps make the hiring process more efficient. These professionals implement a structured hiring approach at your organization where you can provide a better overall interviewing experience. As a result, the hiring managers get candidates with skills that fit job descriptions and qualifications. Many companies are engaging with agencies to help find the top talent or the right fit quickly.

With MeritTrac’s online testing platforms, recruiters and trainers can easily analyse test results and generate reports based on their needs. We have helped more than 400 organisations across the globe access candidates for job readiness. Leave an enquiry to know more about the assessments by MeritTrac.