If you post an opening, the applicants will come.
There was a time when this was true, but those days are long gone. Currently, the national unemployment rate is around 4.5 percent. That’s great news for the economy, but not-so-great news for employers. A low unemployment rate means that talented engineers are currently employed. Sure, some may be scanning job boards here and there, but there is little chance the talent you’re looking for will beat down your door if you post a job online. If you want to recruit top engineers in today’s economy, you’ve got to step up your game.
Got Pipeline?
Many firms follow the old model of only looking for talent when a position opens up. This strategy puts you behind the eight ball. If you are consistently losing out on great talent, it’s likely due to a lack of a passive talent pipeline. Companies that recruit successfully are always recruiting, whether they have open positions or not.
Your HR staff should be continually making online and in-person contact with talented engineers and building relationships with them to help generate interest in your firm. It is through these passive recruiting relationships you can spring into action and reach out to great engineers when an opportunity does arise.
Focus on Referrals
Do you know who knows talented engineers? Other engineers. You are sitting on a recruiting goldmine within your own organization. A formalized referral program can help improve the quality of candidates that come through your door. Referring employees won’t stick their necks out for just anyone, even if there is a handsome cash reward waiting for them. They will only refer people they believe are a strong match. Additionally, those employees will do a bit of PR work for the firm ahead of time. They will brief their colleague on what it’s like to work for the company and will sell the candidate on their own experience, cutting out a lot of legwork in the interview process.
Be Competitive
Top engineers know what type of salary and benefits packages they can command in the market. If your firm is out of line with trends, you’ll always lose out. The job market is a competitive place. Engineers are looking for good pay, robust bonuses and strong work-life balance. It is critical to get a feel for what your competitors are offering so you can tailor your packages to turn the heads of the best and brightest.
Work With a Strategic Recruiting Partner
Attracting top engineering talent isn’t a goal you can achieve overnight. It takes a lot of time and a significant amount of resources. And while you revamp your strategies, you’ll likely still struggle to attract the attention of the best engineers. Luckily, there is a way to tap into modern and effective recruiting methods today.
When you partner with a top engineering recruiting firm like Selectek, you instantly align yourself with a team that knows how to successfully recruit the talent you’re looking for. Selectek has a long track record of success in making strong matches between organizations and the talented engineers they need. Reach out to the expert recruiters at Selectek to get started today.
