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Building a talent pipeline is one of the most important things a company can do to sustain itself and ultimately grow. Having a steady stream of talented, qualified prospects ensures the future of your business is in good hands. But corporate recruiting is not cheap and it certainly isn’t easy.
Here are 5 tips to help build your talent pipeline with little or no budget.
Leverage your Internal Engine
Odds are your company currently has Economic Redevelopment and Growth programs in place (ERG). Typically, the more active members of your ERG stand to be your company’s highest net promoters. They are happy about their positions within the company, and are excited about being a part of selected group. Remember that old saying, “birds of a feather flock together?” Well, odds are their friends also share these same characteristics, but maybe they aren’t as excited about where they work.
How many of our own friends work in our industries? Creating a unique and competitive program which encourages employee referrals beyond the standard monetary bonus can be a beneficial way to increase engagement and referrals. Let’s take your Veteran ERG for example: Challenge coins and awards are common in the military for going above and beyond your duty, so why not adapt something beyond your current monetary incentives specific to that ERG.
You could create a teared challenge coin program. For example, 1-2 recruits is a bronze coin. 3-4 recruits is Silver and 5-6 Gold. Then, at your annual ceremony or meeting, recognize that individual for their achievements with a special gift and award. Think of how awesome your current ERG leaders are. Now imagine having 6 more and all it cost you was a few bucks for challenge coins — and maybe an IPAD. Now that’s a great ROI!
Get Involved
I can’t begin to explain how important community involvement is, especially for your recruitment funnel! That does not mean that it needs to come out of your corporate social responsibility team’s budget in the form a donation, though I’m sure they are appreciated. For the most part, your time and talent is what these organizations need. Getting involved in the community will help increase your network, which will lead to referrals.
Typically, volunteer events will involve a network or community of people with the desire to serve and give back. If you strengthen your brand within this community, it’s likely that when they come across an individual looking for employment you’ll be who they think of and they’ll offer up a connection to you. Referrals can be one of your strongest forms of recruitment. If a personal referral from a friend or network is hired into your company, the connection with that employee tends to be stronger. This all eventually leads to higher retention rates! It’s a win-win for everyone.
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Leverage Government Resources
Every state has local points of contact in your one stop centers, which have very taylored and specific roles in the job seeker market. For example, every state’s one stop center and most major cities have a Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP) specialist and Local Veterans’ Employment Representative (LVER), respectively. These specialists assist veterans and those who are in need of services in employment and additional areas. LVERs help connect veterans with appropriate employment, training and placement services available within each state, while the DVOPs have a concentrated effort on disabled veterans or those with a barrier to employment.
DVOPs/LVERs are trained to meet the specific needs of veterans and can be instrumental in referring veteran applicants to your organization. In addition to working with the one-stops and the VA, the DVOPs and LVERs also work closely with Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs). VSOs can also help you get the word out to their veteran members about your company’s job opportunities. Both LVER and DVOP specialists can be found at local CareerOneStop unemployment centers. Lucky for you there is a website to help you find the contact information for your local DVOP and LVER (servicelocator.org).
Tell the World About Your Wins
We are not always our best critics so make sure that you have a friend, colleague or marketing professional give their opinion. Ensure that you have a great message that aligns with your company’s values and that your calls to action are clear. Bring in help from you Teams. Remember those ERGs we talked about? Let them provide insight on their personal experience with the company and let them share their wins too! Share testimonials from new hires, and always remember to keep your content relevant, new and fresh. Leverage sites like PRWEB to help spread the news about your win and never forget to use your social media!
