The skill gap and worker shortage in STEM fields have been widely documented in recent years. Employers are struggling to find highly skilled engineering professionals in the current market. This means firms are dealing with longer time-to-hire and ongoing vacancies that can negatively impact employee productivity and morale, and can harm your ability to successfully bid on new contracts and projects. If you are having trouble recruiting the talent you need, use these strategies to get your hiring process back on track.
The “Old Ways” of Recruiting Are Failing You
Most companies take a reactionary approach to hiring, waiting until a vacancy opens up before they begin a search. Then, they simply post jobs to the internet and LinkedIn and wait for talented candidates to apply. This approach is one of the biggest roadblocks to successful technical hiring.
The fact is, the most talented engineers and technical professionals in the market are not actively looking for new opportunities. If you want to attract great people, you must build relationships with passive talent. By building these relationships, you can forge a pipeline of potential talent who would entertain an opening when it arises, eliminating the reactionary scramble most employers deal with when an engineer leaves a firm.
Overcoming the Challenges of Passive Recruiting
Passive recruiting sounds easy enough in theory, but most internal recruiting teams lack the time and resources to invest in building a network of potential talent. They also run into struggles convincing leadership it is worthwhile to invest in building a passive pipeline, since the ROI can take years to measure and prove.
However, there is a low-risk, high-return strategy for instantly accessing a deep pool of both active and passive talent who are open to new opportunities at firms like yours. By building a strategic partnership with a technical recruiting firm, you can shorten your time to hire, improve the quality of hires and keep your firm from stagnating.
Selectek is the Southeast region’s premier engineering and technical staffing firm. Our recruiters focus only on the engineering and skilled technical market. We know what professionals are looking for when it comes to new opportunities, and we help clients build competitive offers and hammer out strategies that include both long-term and short-term needs.
Selectek builds real relationships with clients to understand the culture of the organization and its unique needs. Our focus is making strong matches that ensure both candidates and clients are satisfied with the result. And we do it quickly, so your firm isn’t overtaxing your staff when someone exits. As the relationship grows, Selectek becomes a true extension of your existing hiring team.
If your HR team struggles to find skilled talent for your Atlanta-area business, Selectek can help. Contact us today to learn more about the ways we can help you achieve your technical and engineering recruiting goals.