What is targeted recruitment? A complete guide

In today's competitive job market, there are many different recruitment strategies used by talent teams. An emerging new approach that is rapidly gaining popularity is targeted recruitment. Where general recruitment casts a wide net to attract a large pool of candidates, while targeted recruitment focuses on connecting with specific individuals who possess the necessary skills, qualifications, and attributes for a particular role.

Targeted recruitment strategies are essential for attracting and retaining the best talent. Today, we'll dive into the benefits of targeted recruitment, from attracting the right candidates to saving time and resources, and increasing diversity and inclusion. Discover how to implement a successful targeted recruitment strategy and how platforms like Outhire can streamline the process, helping hiring managers find the ideal candidates for their job openings.

Defining targeted recruitment

Targeted recruiting is a powerful and strategic method for connecting with the ideal candidates to fill a company's job openings. This approach emphasises a concentrated effort to source, attract, and hire candidates who have the specific skills and qualifications required for the role.

Targeted recruiting takes into consideration various factors that can influence a candidate's suitability for the position, such as their skills, geographic location, disability status, and other demographic information like gender, sexuality, and ethnicity. By focusing on these elements, companies can more effectively identify and engage with candidates who are not only qualified for the job but also aligned with the organisation's values and culture.

What is the difference between a targeted, general or open recruitment strategy?

In the realm of recruitment, there are various approaches to attracting and hiring talent. Targeted recruitment concentrates on connecting with specific candidates who possess the skills, qualifications, and other factors required for a particular role, such as location, disability status, or demographics like gender, ethnicity, and sexuality. General recruitment, on the other hand, casts a wider net to reach a broader pool of applicants, without specifically targeting any particular group or skill set. Open recruitment (sometimes referred to as open hiring or open recruiting) takes this even further by advertising job opportunities publicly and making them accessible to all potential candidates, without any restrictions based on experience, qualifications, or demographics. Each recruitment approach has its merits, but targeted recruitment stands out as a highly effective strategy to focus on the ideal candidates, saving time and resources while ensuring a better fit for the organisation's needs and culture.

What are the benefits of using targeted recruitment to reach candidates?

Targeted recruitment offers numerous benefits that can greatly impact a company's success, from attracting the right candidates and enhancing the employer brand to saving time, resources, and promoting diversity and inclusion. Let's explore these advantages in more detail:

Attracting the Right Candidates

When an employer successfully reaches its target market, it can attract candidates who are a good fit for the company's culture, values, and mission. This can lead to more qualified applicants who are more likely to stay with the company long-term and be productive employees.

Enhancing Employer Brand

A strong employer brand can attract and retain top talent. When an employer reaches its target market, it can build a reputation as an employer of choice among its ideal candidates, which can enhance its employer brand and lead to a more engaged and positive brand image among potential candidates.

Saving Time and Resources

When an employer targets its ideal candidates, it can save time and resources in recruiting efforts. Instead of casting a wide net and sifting through hundreds of applications, employers can focus on reaching a smaller, targeted pool of qualified candidates, which can result in a more efficient recruitment process. It can also lead to better talent retention and reduce re-hiring costs. According to the HR Industry Benchmark Survey 2021 the average cost of hiring a new employee was $23,000.

Increased Diversity and Inclusion

Targeted recruitment allows employers to target diverse candidates more directly. This can lead to a more diverse and inclusive workforce, which can bring new perspectives and ideas to the organisation. This can help the company better serve its customers, improve innovation, and enhance its overall performance.

How to implement a targeted recruitment strategy

Implementing a targeted recruitment strategy can seem daunting, but by following a step-by-step approach, you can effectively connect with the right candidates and improve your hiring process. Here are the key steps to consider when creating your tailored recruitment plan:

1. Analyse and identify the job specifications: Begin by defining the specific skills, experience, and qualifications required for the role you are recruiting for. This clarity will help you focus on the most relevant candidates, streamlining the process.
2. Develop comprehensive candidate personas: Based on the job specifications, create detailed candidate personas that will help tailor the job descriptions and messaging to connect with the targeted candidates. This is an essential step to determine how to reach the right candidates and where to focus advertising efforts.
3. Connect with your target candidates: Reach out to your target candidates through job boards, industry web pages, online groups, in-person or virtual meetups, or any other relevant channels where they are likely to be present. Consistently engaging with your target audience will increase your chances of finding the perfect candidate.
4. Set specific goals for the strategy: Define clear and specific goals for the targeted recruitment strategy, such as increasing diversity, reducing employee turnover, or lowering the cost per hire. Explicitly defining your goals will help measure progress and recognize success.
5. Incorporate other core components: Ensure that the strategy includes other essential components such as budget, interview techniques, skills testing, and the channels to be used for recruitment. These elements will help you create a comprehensive and well-rounded recruitment process.
6. Track and measure metrics: Identify the relevant metrics to track and measure the success of the strategy. These could include employee acceptance rate, candidate experience, and the quality of the channel being used. Tie each metric to the specific goals defined for the strategy.

By following these steps, you can create a successful targeted recruitment strategies that will help you find the best candidates for your job openings efficiently and effectively.

How does Outhire help hiring managers with targeted recruitment?

Outhire is the marketing platform for talent teams. With Outhire, you can effortlessly create and distribute targeted talent campaigns and employer branding content in minutes. We take the heavy lifting out of targeted recruitment campaigns. Outhire finds the right platforms and communities across Slack, Discord, Facebook, Reddit and Twitter to bring quality candidates straight to talent teams, so they can focus on interviewing and getting that new hire onboarded.

Targeted job campaigns

Outhire's AI talent-matching engine helps employers to create job postings that their ad is targeted towards candidates with the right skills and experience. This helps ensure that the job posting is seen by the right candidates who are interested in the job. With Outhire, you have a targeted recruitment plan developed and executed in minutes!

An expansive network across social media and professional networks

Today's candidates are not found in traditional places like job boards. There are many potential applicants across professional networks on Slack and Discord, or going about their day on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. A targeted recruitment strategy, developed through Outhire, helps reach both active and passive candidates. Outhire uses social media advertising to reach potential candidates who are active on platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. This helps employers to reach a wider audience and attract more applicants.

AI powered job matching

When you're looking to hire a large number of candidates, you need to focus time where it truly matters. Outhire uses advanced algorithms to target recruitment advertising to the best platforms and networks to reach candidates that fit the job requirements. This ensures that employers only receive applications from candidates who are qualified for the job.

Employer branding

Outhire offers employers the opportunity to showcase their brand and company culture through their job postings. This helps employers to attract candidates who share their values and are a good fit for the company.

Overall, Outhire helps employers and recruiters reach their target market by using a combination of targeted job postings, social media advertising, AI job matching, and employer branding. These methods ensure that employers attract qualified candidates who are interested in the job and the company.

The road ahead

As the job market continues to evolve, the targeted recruitment strategy has proven to be an invaluable approach for attracting and retaining top talent. By focusing on the right candidates, enhancing your employer brand, saving time and resources, and promoting diversity and inclusion, you can significantly improve your recruitment process. With the support of platforms like Outhire, you can leverage cutting-edge technology to streamline your efforts and find the perfect candidates for your job openings. Embrace targeted recruitment to unlock the potential of your talent pool and foster a workforce that is aligned with your organisation's values, culture, and goals.

Looking for recruitment ideas? Try Outhire today to see how a targeted hiring approach can transform your talent team!