What You Need To Know
Word of mouth advertising, or sharing job opportunities with the people you know, is one common method of recruiting. The main benefit of this method is the low cost. The major drawback is that you may be missing out on many skilled, and diversified, employees who would be interested in the job. If you are having difficulty finding employees you may need to invest more time, creativity, and money to your recruiting efforts. You may also want to look at the requirements (education, skills, and experience) you have indicated as being needed to apply for the job. If the list of requirements is too long or too specific, you may be limiting the number of people who will qualify to apply for the job.
Why You Need To Know
Recruiting the right person for the job is critical, but recruitment is more difficult than ever. Fewer skilled workers, more job opportunities, and employees changing values toward work mean that employers need to be strategic in their recruitment efforts.
What You Need To Do
When you decide how you will recruit, use simple language to describe the business, job, and requirements.
Be credible in what you advertise. Don’t offer what you can’t, or won’t, deliver to your workers.
Do your research on the best way to reach qualified workers for the job. Consider social media, cable and newspaper ads, online job boards, job fairs, employment agencies, customers, community notices, business associations, trade publications, and your current workforce as appropriate. Ask candidates how they heard about the job so you know which methods to use the next time you have to hire. You may find that some methods work better for you than others in attracting candidates.
WorkPEI is a free job board for businesses on Prince Edward Island. This job board also provides you with access to a database of people who are looking for employment.
You are also encouraged to reach out to groups of people that you may not have considered before. For tips on hiring international workers, workers living with disabilities, individuals of with indigenous backgrounds, mature workers, women, LGBTQ2+, and youth visit the Diversity and Inclusion section of the website.
You may take on the recruiting task yourself or you may want to use the services of a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) or a Registered Professional Recruiter (RPR) to ensure that you have explored all the possibilities and are complying with the law during your hiring process.