By Rick Geiger

It’s not 2011 anymore. Shocking, right? It seems like just yesterday it was easy to attract talent with skilled, educated, and motivated job hiding around every corner. Hiring was fun. The fish were jumping into the boat! Now? Not so much. So, what happened? Well, you know what happened. The economy improved, unemployment went down, the stock market went up (then down, then up again, then…). The point is the job market tightened over the past eight years. And then tightened some more. And then, just like it was showing off, tightened even more!

The question, though, is not what happened, but what to do about it? Recruiting good people may be more challenging than back in the good ol’ days. But there are tools and strategies that can help you attract talent in today’s job market.

Pay More

As a hiring manager with a pulse, you know that paying people more makes it easier to attract talent to your company. That doesn’t mean you can pay more. Or that you should. You still have a budget. It’s just true: people like more money. But keep in mind, it’s not just cold, hard cash they like. Whether it’s vacation days, telecommuting, long term disability or stock options, people love all kinds of benefits. Make them work for your organization.

Cast a Wider Net

Don’t just rely on job boards. HireVelocity.com says, “Spread your message with social media, referrals, personal connections, general networking, and any other channels you have at your disposal.” Job boards are important, but don’t limit yourself. Branch out. Be creative. And be relentless.

Cast a Wider Net 2.0

According to Indeed.com, casting a wider net can also mean reexamining and perhaps relaxing some of your job “requirements”. Don’t miss out your next Employee of the Month based on unnecessary or outdated criteria. Make sure your requirements are just that.

Marketing

Monster.com says, “Get your brand out there.” You already market your company to potential customers. Now, get your HR and marketing departments working together to sell your organization to potential employees. And while you’re at it…

Dazzle Them

If you’re going to land the kind of talent you need in this job market, Monster says, you better dazzle them. How do you do that? Well, they’re human beings living in the 21^st Century, aren’t they? So, use pictures and sound (i.e. video) “to enhance your company’s job postings, employer branding and recruitment efforts.” You know what they say, a video is worth 1.8 million words.

Great employees—future CEO’s, Employees of the Month, and rock stars—are still out there. You just may need to work a little harder and a lot smarter to get them in the boat.

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