While an optimized job posting can go a long way towards attracting qualified candidates when you first select “Publish,” the tips provided below can further enhance your reach by providing other options to consider to fill the pipeline.
Workable offers a variety of options to reach candidates wherever they might be. Some of the more popular options are provided below.
- Job board selection & integrations
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Not all job boards are created equal. While under most circumstances, posting entry-to-mid-level positions on broad-interest sites like Indeed can produce good results, it is also important to understand where the types of candidates you are looking to attract will search for jobs.
Tech or IT-oriented positions may provide better-quality candidates if posted to specialist boards like Dice- where those types of candidates spend the most time during their job search. Consider also that many high-level candidates in business roles search for positions on LinkedIn.
Take a quick look at job boards by searching for your job’s title and location to determine the amount of competition it has. If the list of recently posted jobs stretches over multiple pages in the results, consider a premium or sponsored posting on the board. Beyond ensuring that the job will get higher visibility, this can also signal to candidates that the company is serious about making its next hire.
These postings can be purchased in the Find Candidates section of the job in Workable. If you already have an account with a job board/sourcing tool that we support, go to the Integrations page and connect your account with Workable.
In summary:
- From the job dashboard in Workable, click the Find Candidates button to see relevant job boards
- Consider a premium or sponsored posting for niche roles, or when the competition is expected to be high
- Explore our Integrations page and connect any other job boards/sourcing tools you are using to utilize them in Workable
Did you know?
Using the job shortlink feature, you can post on job boards Workable doesn't partner with directly, while still having candidates who apply appear in Workable. In most cases, the source will be accurately captured, so you’ll still be able to identify where a candidate has applied from.
- Asking for referrals
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This is available only for Premier and Enterprise plans. If a role is difficult to fill, asking coworkers for referrals can be useful, especially if there's already someone in the same position. High-achieving employees tend to know and associate with people of similar calibre, and Workable makes it easy to request and receive referrals.
Each job in Workable features a unique referral link that is accessible via the Find Candidates section. Using this link will allow you to send a customizable email to all current users of the account and invite them to submit referrals for the position.
For more consistent benefits over time, consider creating a structured referrals program with the help of our Referrals portal. This allows employees to:
- Refer someone for an open role
- Share an open role with their professional or social network
- Apply internally for an open role
- Track their active and successful referrals as well as potential referral rewards
Implementing referrals will have several advantages, including faster hiring times and reduced costs. Your colleagues can be a valuable source of candidates, especially in competitive fields. Studies have also shown that both referred candidates and employees who make successful referrals tend to stay longer.
In summary:
- Ask existing employees to refer candidates from the Find Candidates section for a job
- Consider creating a structured referrals program to reap multiple benefits over time
Did you know?
Providing your colleagues with the job’s mailbox address will allow them to conveniently submit resumes or referrals via email. They will also be credited as the source of the candidate.
- Using social media
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Sharing open roles on social media can also be a good source of candidates, particularly as your audience will already be familiar with your products, services, and culture, making them ideal candidates, especially for niche roles. You can also encourage your colleagues to share open postings on their social media pages to further expand this reach.
Through this method, you can reach a wider audience, including ‘passive’ candidates who might not currently be looking for a role. Additionally, it represents an opportunity to engage directly with potential candidates and can help highlight the company’s brand and culture.
Workable tracks candidate sources automatically to help measure conversions from social posts, giving you an additional layer of data and insights to optimize your company’s hiring activities.
Post to a social account from the Find Candidates section or send the job shortlink to coworkers for them to share.
In summary:
- Sharing jobs on social media is a quick and easy way to expand your reach
- Encourage colleagues to share open positions in their own networks
- Use tracking pixels to track conversion rates for additional insights
Did you know?
You can use a custom image when sharing your jobs on social media. Work with your marketing team to create an image that is on-brand to better attract candidates.
- Leveraging existing candidates
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If you’ve been posting jobs for some time and have built a robust database of candidates, every new role can be an opportunity to revisit promising candidates who have previously applied. This method can be particularly effective if you’ve kept in touch and nurtured a good relationship with your candidate base.
Resurface existing candidates by going to the Find Candidates tab in your job editor. Workable will search your database to find the 10 best existing candidates for the job; just add them to the new job and continue with your recruiting process.
If there aren't any resurfaced candidates, you can run your own manual search. Select the Candidates link or enter search terms at the top of any page in Workable to access the Candidates page and run an advanced/boolean search.
As you review past candidates, consider using tags to highlight useful skills or attributes that candidates might have. This can shorten future searches and easily allow you to create shortlists of candidates across multiple roles going forward. You might find that your next hire is already in the system, pre-screened, and ready to progress.
When reviewing a candidate, select the three dots to copy or move that candidate’s profile to a specific job.
Did you know?
Our Talent Pool feature is designed specifically to house speculative applications, or promising candidates and referrals who can be strong contenders for future roles.
- Use Search with AI
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Included as part of your Workable subscription, Search with AI functions as a search engine for candidates. It allows you to quickly find candidates based on your criteria and easily add them to your account for further review or follow-up.
From the Candidates page, select the Search candidates box on the right side of the page. Enter what you are looking for using natural language.
Important: Each search result counts as one profile towards your profile quota. Click here to learn more about your profile views consumption.Any promising candidates can be quickly added to a job by selecting the green plus (+) button and following the prompts.
If you’re unsure of what terms to use, Search with AI takes the hassle out of determining search terms and reviewing results. Based on Search with AI technology, this feature will automatically generate a list of candidates for you to preview and potentially add to your pipeline. Best of all, this process is seamless and does not require any user input. Workable searches for candidates behind the scenes, based on the job’s location and requirements, and you can decide whether the results should be added to the job.
This can be done by going to the Find Candidates section and selecting 'Passive candidates'. These candidates are automatically tagged with "#suggested_by_workable", so you can easily distinguish candidates you've added yourself from those suggested by Search with AI.
In summary:
- Consider a premium / sponsored posting on specialist boards if relevant
- Check in with your colleagues and ask for referrals
- Spread the word on social media
- Resurface existing candidates in the database
- Perform targeted searches for passive candidates using Search with AI.