Are you Hiring or Recruiting (And How To Do Both Well)
/This blog was originally published on January 15th, 2019 but has been updated on April 3rd, 2023.
If you’re reading this, you’re probably looking for advice surrounding how to get resume traffic from your job ads, candidates in the door for interviews, and, ultimately, quality new employees for your company.
To compete for top talent—especially in this extremely tight employment market—you need to excel at both recruiting and hiring. “But,” you might ask, “what’s the difference between recruiting and hiring?”
We’re glad you asked! Read on to learn the difference, plus how to be more successful at both.
Understanding the Journey of a Job Seeker
To do both recruiting and hiring well, you first need to understand the process a job seeker goes through as they look for a new position. Finding a job isn’t as simple as sending in resumes, going to interviews, and accepting a position. It involves a multi-step process*:
General Awareness. In this stage, potential candidates aren’t looking for a job yet, but they’re not opposed to the idea. They’re keeping an eye on the job market in case something grabs their attention.
Passive Search. At this point, a potential candidate might be getting frustrated with their current job and are more open to the idea of a new one, but they aren’t actively searching yet.
Active Search. By now, the candidate has decided to leave their job and is actively looking for a new opportunity. They’re updating their resume, searching job ads, and eager to find their next position.
Application. The candidate is actively applying for jobs and attending interviews. They’re also engaging more intently with the brands they’re interested in online via websites, social media pages, and so on.
Offer and Onboarding. Finally, the candidate accepts a job and is onboarded into their new position.
*Steps taken from Monster’s 2023 Always Be Recruiting strategy guidebook
One big mistake many companies make is only paying attention to the active search, application, and offer. But engaging with candidates in the earlier stages and creating an effective onboarding program are just as crucial to a successful recruiting and hiring process.
What Does Recruiting Involve?
In today’s market, it’s not enough to just post a job ad and wait for resumes to roll in. To stay ahead in this competitive employment market and find the candidates you want, you need to be constantly recruiting.
Recruiting includes all the parts and pieces of driving candidates to your company…including during the earlier stages of their job-seeking journey. The key to successful recruiting is grabbing the interest of your ideal candidates.
Traditional recruiting or headhunting is only part of what it takes to succeed in today’s job market. Great talent is getting more and more difficult to find, so it’s critical to consider a number of other factors, including:
Employment Branding. Company culture is a big draw for today’s job candidates. They want more than just good pay (though that is still important). They want an employment culture that fits their needs and expectations and a job environment that is pleasant to work in.
A candidate who is considering applying with your company wants to know about your diversity and inclusion efforts, work flexibility options, healthcare and mental health benefits, and opportunities for career progression, for example. In essence, they want to know what it’s like to work there. Employment branding answers the question, “What makes your company a great place to work?"
Bonus: Employment branding isn’t just good for recruiting new employees…it also helps retain current staff!
Your Online Presence. Use your online presence to engage potential job candidates at every stage of their job-seeking journey. That includes your website, social media channels, and employment ads.
Your career website should make finding and applying for positions easy, with a quality user experience, clear benefits, and mobile-friendly application process. It should also include some of that Employment Branding we discussed in point #1.
Many job seekers now use social media to get to know a company’s culture before deciding whether to apply with them or not. So you need to meet them there with relevant posts that highlight who you are, what you do, and what it’s like to work at your company.
Your employment ads should contain clear, concise information about your company and the position being offered. Include a few basics about who you are as a company, as well as the perks, benefits, and salary range for the position.
Your Involvement in the Community. Does your business sponsor citywide events? Offer volunteer opportunities with local charities? Take part in area mentorship programs? If so, prospective employees want to hear about it.
Your business is not an island. Your company’s connection to the surrounding community (or lack thereof) will send a clear signal to potential job candidates about what you value. Your company’s contribution to the wider community will draw candidates who value the same things.
If you’re still wondering what these things could possibly have to do with recruiting new employees, remember one thing: there is fierce competition for top talent in today’s job market, and it’s on you to convince prospective hires why they should choose you over the competition.
How Is Hiring Different From Recruiting?
Companies that do well at recruiting also need to pay attention to their hiring process.
We recommend a systemized process that’s agile enough to move quickly in a job market where top candidates are courted by multiple organizations. A strong hiring process maximizes interview structure and content, one-on-one time with key company individuals, documentation, assessment, and presentation of the offer.
Before you begin your candidate search:
Think through how to “sell” your organization as an Employer of Choice (another area where the concept of Employment Branding comes in handy).
Lay out the key components of your interview process
Train your staff on interview best practices
Prepare highly effective interview questions designed to give you the information you need to evaluate candidates
Companies who do these things are the ones who consistently win at the hiring game.
Also, remember that the hiring process doesn’t end when a candidate accepts your offer! Effective onboarding is a vital component of any successful hire. Learn more about creating a smooth onboarding process in our recent blog: 7 Tips To Make Your Onboarding Process Smooth Sailing.
Are You Hiring or Recruiting?
We hope your answer is both! The reality is, you need to be successful at both recruiting and hiring to attract top employees. Which of these areas does your company do well in? Which could use some work?
If you’re not sure how to get started improving your recruiting and hiring processes, the Red Seat team would love to help. Give us a call to discuss your concerns, or browse our blog for more hiring and recruiting best practices!
