Anybody can post a job advert on the Finn.no website, but you really have to extend your search to find the very best candidates. We use the following methods.
You may have found that it has become increasingly difficult to attract candidates through job adverts alone. Or perhaps you have found that you get too few suitable candidates, despite a high volume of applicants.
Recruitment generally requires a far more active approach than it did ten to twenty years ago, and many often struggle to find time for this work on top of other essential tasks. If you are reading this, you have presumably already considered using a recruitment agency.
If you are curious about how the staff at Dreamwork go about finding the best candidates, you can learn about our methods here.
Mapping and requirements specification before we start the search
We always start the recruitment process by mapping what you consider a good candidate to be. Not only should your future employee have the expertise you require; they must also fit into your work culture.
A candidate who some may find bubbly and outgoing may be perceived as unfocused and annoying by their new colleagues. While some find motivation in competition, others find it stressful. This makes it really important to find the candidate that suits you, so that new employees can perform as well as possible.
And that is why we review and identify various factors with you before starting the recruitment process. The things we look at include:
- What essential expertise should the candidate have?
- What is your work culture like?
- What characterises those who have previously done well in the position?
Based on the above, we will devise a targeted job description, specially designed to appeal to the right candidates. We then start the search, and unless you specifically wish to be involved in the process, you can lean back until we are ready to present you with a handful of the most relevant candidates.
Find the right platform for active applicants
We generally divide candidates into two categories: active and passive applicants. Active applicants are those already looking for a new job. The first step in reaching them is to publish classic job adverts where the candidates are already looking. But where are they?
LinkedIn is the obvious choice for positions that require a lot of expertise, but you will often get a larger volume of applicants for e.g. sales positions by advertising on Finn or Facebook. It also often pays to dig even deeper and track down popular industry-specific websites or special groups in social media. Our recruitment staff constantly work on ensuring they know which websites people in the different industries actually use, and we also lean on your input and experience.
Recruiters who are good at what they do know how to find people, and following up their interests may be as effective as going by their field. If, for example, you are looking for a content creator for a travel agency, travel groups on Facebook may well be every bit as suitable as groups for marketers.
We often pursue more unconventional channels like Snapchat and Instagram when we are looking for younger candidates. Although the volume of applicants is never as high as from more popular channels, they help to raise visibility and recognition.
Identify passive applicants through LinkedIn
The second category of candidates is made up of what we call passive applicants, i.e. those not actively looking, but who are open to a change of scenery. LinkedIn is often the most relevant platform in that context.
It is a fairly common way of finding candidates, but not all clients are comfortable with recruiting someone already employed by a competitor, especially if the professional scene is small. We will therefore make sure you are okay with this approach before we start looking for candidates. It is often where you find the best people, however – if you are good at what you do, you will generally already have been snapped up by someone.
One of the major advantages recruitment agencies have in relation to companies’ own HR departments is that it is easier for them to justify the high price of using LinkedIn’s own Recruiter tool. It enables us to do far more detailed searches based on keywords, work experience or specific companies.
Not least, it gives us access to information that ordinary users of LinkedIn do not get to see, like when the profile was created. But perhaps most importantly: You can see whether someone has noted their interest in a new job – information that is only visible to those with a Recruiter profile.
Network of thousands of candidates
Most Dreamwork recruiters have a LinkedIn network of thousands of people, and have, over time, recruited people for very many industries. We share each other’s job adverts, to ensure they are seen by many more people than your typical HR manager would be able to do.
It is also much easier for us to find someone who knows someone (who knows someone…). If we have found a great candidate for a similar position in the past, they may well be happy to recommend us to colleagues who meet your requirements.
Finally, we can mention that Dreamwork has formed many long-term relationships that often started through Dreamwork Talents. In these cases, we are able to follow the candidate from the very start of their career, and are in a unique position to recommend them to others when they have gained more experience. Maybe we already know your next employee well?
Regardless of the methods we use to find the kind of candidates you are looking for, we will present around three candidates for a final interview. That gives you an opportunity to do a final check to make sure these are people you would like to employ, and you can also check in with us after the onboarding process.
Do you have any questions about the recruitment process? Don’t hesitate to get in touch.