Sources of Talent Worth Mentioning

These days, hiring on culture, values, and team fit is often prioritised above skill, and it's no surprise that approached strategically, hiring beyond technical skill and qualification requirements can actually broaden talent pools. To assist your sourcing strategy, we've compiled a list of talent sources we think are worth considering! 

Internal talent It's not uncommon for best-kept secrets or in this case 'talent' to be hidden internally. Before thinking of hiring externally, is there an existing employee/s that can be internally promoted? Or, is there an opportunity to second an employee to the new position? 

We all know someone who knows someone. Never underestimate the power of referrals and connections. Often, great employees know other great people in the industry, and your next hire could be one of them! If you don't already have a referral program in place, consider an appropriate incentive and get the program going internally and externally - we even have one! 

Think outside the square. Is the vacancy and job requirements open to candidates with transferable skills from other industries? Perhaps its time to broaden your search beyond your sector or industry. You never know… the perfect candidate may have a background you’d never previously considered! This article may interest you. 

Get social! Utilised and targeted correctly, social media can be a great way to advertise your vacancy to a broader audience and therefore, broaden your search. It's important to work backwards from your ideal candidate to help determine the most effective target market and social platform to use. For example, targeting the 18-24 age group for a Store Management vacancy on Instagram with a passion for beauty and cosmetics will be far more effective than LinkedIn. 

Specialist recruitment agencies like Retailworld are well connected and have access to a largely passive and active database of candidates. A specialist recruitment agency will apply multiple search strategies in order to make the best connections for your business. 

Although advertising a vacancy through multiple channels with effective employment brand communications (these each require an article of their own), any communication about a vacancy should really aim to 'speak' to and attract the desired candidate.  No matter the channel or source of talent applied, the use of language and communication style is key when sourcing the ultimate candidate for your business! Remember, if you need any help with sourcing talent, we're specialists in retail recruitment. Contact us for a confidential chat about your businesses recruitment or employment branding needs.