So, you got a hiring grant — congrats! Now how do you hire an eligible candidate? We partnered with Envol Strategies to bring you the best tips and tricks for hiring!
You just got approved for a hiring grant, congratulations! 🎉 You’re probably super excited to bring on your new hire but may have realized you don’t know where to start when it comes to recruiting qualified candidates — who also meet the eligibility criteria of the grant.
The funds for most hiring grants are distributed on a first-come basis. Just because you’re pre-approved, doesn’t mean the money is yours. You need to hire an eligible candidate and get them approved before the deal is done. Moving fast is critical!
Here are some tips to help you hire eligible candidates quickly:
The first step is creating a job ad that will accurately represent the role you’re hiring for and is compelling for your target candidates. Need some help with crafting a great job ad? Check out this free Job Ad Tool to help you get started!
Once you have your job ad, you need to get the position posted in places where the right candidates are going to see it and apply. Here are some places you may want to consider posting:
University Job Boards
Many colleges and universities have a job board that connect their students (and their alum) with employers. Posting on a university/college job board can help to take the guesswork out of screening for eligibility. It’s also a great way to target certain schools or programs. Many student hiring grants and youth hiring grants require the person you hire to come from accredited programs/schools. Posting to accredited university job boards can ensure that candidates qualify and help you avoid surprises (like a candidate not being eligible) once you’re further down the recruitment path!
Conventional Job Boards
The easiest and most surefire way to reach the largest pool of candidates is to post your job through conventional job boards. These can include Indeed, LinkedIn, Monster, etc. Most people know and use these job boards in their job search, so the number of people applying to your job posting (“inbound candidates”) will likely be high. However, as so many jobs are posted on these every day and the application process is fairly easy, your job may not stand out. There’s also a risk that you receive a large pool of unqualified applicants. We recommend including screening/qualification questions based on the grant’s eligibility criteria as part of the job posting to help you screen out unqualified (or ineligible) candidates early.
Provincial Job Boards
Provincial job boards are another great option for posting your job. Provincial job boards can allow your organization to target candidates from a specific geographic area, and most allow you to post jobs at no cost. Job boards such as WorkBC, Nova Scotia Works, and NBjobs also allow you to narrow your search to find people with specific certifications and training, as well as offering support services by phone or chat to make your search process as smooth as possible.
Special Interest Job Boards
Special Interest Job Boards are excellent for targeting a specific type of job seeker. For example, Stack Overflow specializes in software development jobs and software engineering jobs, and AngelList caters to startup employers. Utilizing a niche job board will increase your chances of finding a qualified candidate for your open positions.
Make use of an Applicant Tracking System
An Applicant Tracking System (or ATS) is a software tool that helps employers manage the recruitment process. It’s an immensely helpful tool for efficient recruiting. An ATS allows you to integrate with different job boards and post to multiple job boards — with one click.
An ATS also allows you to easily manage and track incoming applicants and centralize all your recruitment data. With an ATS, you can easily search your talent pool for specific categories, like location, skills or education. Click here to check out Smart Recruiters, a free ATS system!
Get Creative!
Finding the right candidate that ticks all the boxes can sometimes feel more like an art than a science. Recruiting candidates who both meet your job qualifications and the eligibility criteria of the grant can be especially challenging. This might be especially difficult during peak hiring seasons when many employers are looking for the same type of talent.
some ways to stand out are:
Utilizing Social Media and your Employer Brand to your Advantage
Many job seekers find out about new opportunities online, so having an established and updated employer social media presence is very important. Using social media to tell candidates about what it’s like to work there, and the experience and skills they will get out of working with you will give you a head start. Posting regularly on social media channels and posting company and employee updates will give candidates a great first impression.
Leverage the Power of Social Media Networks
We often like to check out what our friends have liked or posted on social media, and LinkedIn is no exception. By encouraging current employees to advertise a new job opening or liking company content, this activity is passed on to their network and broadcasts the new opportunity to people who may not have heard of your company before. To encourage more shares and likes, focus on content that is informative, sparks a discussion, excites the target candidate, or is unique!
Put these tips and tricks into practice to help you hire qualified and eligible candidates quickly. Happy hiring! Remember, the first step in this process is securing a hiring grant! Create your Pocketed account to access all of the hiring grants you could dream of! ✨
Still unsure of where to turn next in the hiring process? We have a partner that can help you every step of the way. Check out our partner, Envol Strategies, for even more resources including all of your recruitment, branding, and human resources needs!
