Creating a Recruiting Culture

Posting a job opening and then hoping the best candidates apply is a tough way to build a talent pipeline. Creating a culture in which all faculty and staff actively keep their eye open for top talent is a much more strategic approach. But how can you create and nurture this kind of community mindset? Here are a few ideas:

• Inform your team
  Keep your faculty and staff informed of your institution's openings through regular, scannable and straightforward email communications. Include a "forward to a friend" note at the top of the email to remind your team to do just that.

• Reward referrals
  Get your team into the practice of collecting and sharing the contact information of the talented people they encounter at conferences, seminars and professional development events with your HR team and hiring managers. Determine a reward system to launch the program that aligns with your institution's policies and values.

• Share qualified applicants
  Some openings may attract numerous applicants. Get your hiring managers in the habit of sharing similar institutional openings with the great applicants who apply but who do not get the job offer. Hiring managers can also forward their resumes to team members who might be interested in these strong candidates.

• Keep the conversation going
  Ask the applicants who are finalists but not hired if they are open to being added to your email database/contact list. Periodically communicate with them about your institution's events and announcements. When the right job comes open, you will have the relationship to reach out to these great professionals.

We also see colleges and universities having success building their recruiting pipelines with our unlimited packages. Having this package allows schools to run broad job descriptions throughout the year for positions that open regularly, promote their brand throughout the year with their College Page and recruit during less competitive times of the year.

By implementing these recommendations, you are well on your way to working with a great team today and tomorrow. Let us know how these ideas work for your team and if you have more ideas for us to share! To get more advice, check on your job postings and to learn more about Inside Higher Ed Careers visit our website today.