8 Ways to Recruit Top Candidates Online

Let's start with a stat: more than 51% of job seekers say they prefer finding job opportunities online.

One thing is obvious: you need to go online to find your top candidates. Not to mention that because of the pandemic, more recruiters are turning to online interviewing and using digital platforms to assist with recruitment.

However, online recruiting is not all sunshine and rainbows. Without creativity and effective strategies, your online job postings will lose "the flood".

So, how do you effectively recruit top candidates online? We've compiled some of the best ways to recruit the best-fit candidates.

1. Utilize LinkedIn

LinkedIn is more than a B2B marketers content channel. It's also an ideal place to put your online job postings. That's because over 75% of people who recently changed jobs used LinkedIn to inform their career decisions.

So, it should be no surprise that more than 92% of recruiters use social media; LinkedIn is the social network they use most. Another stat says that 73% of companies consider LinkedIn as the most effective site for finding the most qualified candidates.

LinkedIn makes it easier for you to look at a potential candidate's profile, see their contacts, and even the level of how they participate in various groups and organizations. You can also get to know their overall personality and character.

2. Build your company profile at major job boards

The top channels people use to look for new jobs are online job boards (60%), professional social networks (56%), and word of mouth (50%). You can leverage popular job boards like Glassdoor, Indeed, and Glint, to get maximum exposure and reach broader candidates.

These platforms will provide you with a profile complete with descriptions to display your company logo, provide why you're hiring, and tell your business industry and history, allowing you to have a broader digital presence.

3. Produce content that represents your company culture

According to statistics, 64% of candidates tend to research a company online right after they find a job offer. And at least 37% of them said they would leave it and move on to another job offer if they can't find enough information about the company profile.

This means you need to boost your company's online visibility to gain trust from candidates.

In that case, creating content can make your company more visible and strengthen your online presence. Having such a strong, reliable online presence makes it's easier for candidates to trust your company and the positions you offer.

You can create guest posts, post articles to your website, or craft stunning explainer videos - the candidate application rate goes up by 34% when a job post includes a video.

4. Add a "We're Hiring" alert to your digital channels

Another way to recruit candidates online is by adding a "we're hiring" to your online profiles (email signatures, social media bio, etc.).

This piece of information allows your online audience to be aware that you’re offering opportunities for job-seekers.

Don't forget to add links so you can guide candidates to your online form. To make the links trackable, you can use URL shortener tools like Bitly, Ow.ly, TinyURL, etc.

5. Encourage your employees to leave online reviews

Your company's online reputation matters even more than you think. At least 83% of candidates are likely to research company reviews and ratings before deciding to apply for a job.

Positive reviews can strengthen your brand as an employer and convince candidates to apply. Meanwhile, negative reviews can dissuade them.

That's why you need to build your company's online reputation. In this case, ask for reviews from your current employees. Word-of-mouth is a lighthearted way to catch the attention of like-minded candidates who would fit in perfectly with your company.

6. Find the place where your candidates hang out

Utilizing the channels where your target candidates are hanging out online is a smart move too. Since about 85% of the entire workforce is passively looking for a job, it never hurts to reach out to them first.

Below are some sites where you can target candidates by their expertise and communities:

• 99designs to find designers
• Upwork to find freelancers
• Journalism Jobs to find journalists
• Contently to find content writers

All of these sites have candidate portfolios so you can get a glimpse of their skills and capabilities.

7. Invest in targeted recruiting ads

For maximum exposure and quick results, you can tap into paid ads to promote your online recruitment.

Two platforms worth considering are LinkedIn and Facebook. Both offer targeting options, so you can ensure your ad is seen by your target candidates or people that are actually interested in job offerings.

LinkedIn reported that their recruitment ads get up to 50x higher clickthrough rates than typical recruitment ads.

Wrapping up

In a world where everything is turning digital, online recruiting has become such a staple in every savvy company's recruitment strategy.

Since the internet is borderless and limitless, it can reach a broader talent pool, giving organizations a higher chance to find the best fit for the open position, while reducing recruitment costs.