Recruitment is the most important HR function. Organizations will only enjoy success and continuous growth if they have the perfect combination and number of employees. Job placement consultants in Dubai say that you can land only the top talent in the right numbers if you follow only the best recruitment strategies and steps. This includes changing and eliminating old recruitment tactics that are no longer effective and relevant today.

But which outdated recruitment methods are no longer applicable or recommended today? Here are the top five:

Sending mass, impersonal fillers or notifications about your job vacancies

Emails requesting applicants to apply for current openings will certainly be opened by recipients who are looking for a job. But passive candidates or those who are currently employed and not actively looking for a job but may be open to a new opportunity will most likely ignore this type of email.

To get the attention of both active and passive candidates, you have to take a more personalized approach. This means customizing your messages for each applicant; at very least, state the name of the on the email or private message you will send. When they reply, personalize your message as well. By doing so, you’ll have a bigger pool to expect and choose from.

Requesting applicants to submit paper resumes or CVs and other documents

Whether you’re using the Internet during the initial stages of the recruitment process, conducting a job fair, or accepting walk-in applicants, stop getting paper resumes or CVs and hard copies of their credentials. This technique will simply require more work on your part. It is also not eco-friendly since you will most likely throw away these documents after a few years or so.

Today, it is more convenient to use a recruiting system or software that will enable candidates to provide the information you need and to upload any documents you want to see. You can also use this system to track the progress of each applicant and to manage and monitor recruitment efforts.  With less work on your part, you can focus better on screening and landing the most promising candidates.

Posting traditional or generic job ads

Recruiters in UAE say that people today are getting less and less interested in reading job ads that contain only the title, description, and your contact details. This is simply because this format has been around and used for several decades now.

To catch the attention of candidates (especially the passive ones), give your ad some personality. You can do this by showing off your brand. Give the readers an idea of what your company is all about and what they can experience or gain when they join your team. When candidates find your ad interesting, they will be more motivated to apply or at the very least, engage with you.

Using social media during the initial screening stages

Aside from using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and other social media platforms to promote job vacancies, many recruiters and employers also use these sites to look at a candidate’s social profile. They will also take the time to read some candidates’ posts, the posts or photos they like, and the pages they follow.

However, using social media to evaluate someone and rule out a qualified candidate is not good practice. You can check out the candidates' social media profiles but you have to form your own opinion and make a decision during or after a formal or informal interview.

Relying too much on formal, in-person interviews

Lastly, asking applicants to drop by the office for a personal interview during the initial stage of the screening process is something that should not be required at all. This is because this step will simply be a hassle for many candidates. They may have to pay travel costs and even arrange time off work to attend the interview without any assurance that they will get the job.

Instead of in-person interviews, shortlist your applicants by utilizing a combination of modern methods. These include:

• Application screening questions

• Skills test

• Phone interviews

• Live video interviews

• Text or online chat interviews

The candidates who passed all these steps are potentially the most qualified ones. They will also be more likely to fit with your company culture. When they reach the formal interview stage, there is a lower chance that you are wasting the candidate’s and the interviewers’ time.

The competition to get top talent is quite tough today. You can get ahead of the competition and have higher chances of hiring the best new employees by eschewing outdated and useless recruitment tactics and replacing them with more effective ones.

AUTHOR BIO

Payal Bhatia

A passionate recruiter with more than 12 years in the executive search industry, Payal Bhatia is an international headhunter and business partner for RM & Associates in the MENA region specializing in the FMCG, retail, telecom and engineering sectors.