Creating a Pool of Ideal Job Candidates - You Really Need to Be Doing This!

As a business owner, you know that creating a largesame information as well as become a great
pool of ideal prospects is important for your business"marketing tool" for your great corporate culture.
success. You know that cultivating an increasingActivity 2: Take surveys. Don't wait until people are
number of qualified and interested people on the vergealready employees before asking their opinions. Use
of becoming clients makes your marketing activitiesthis pool of candidates to find ways to improve your
easier, more cost effective and more productive thanrecruiting process. Was our Careers Page helpful/easy
spending your day constantly "cold calling" for newto use? What was your first impression of our
clients.company? Did you receive timely responses and
But did you also know that these are the sameupdates to your application? You can find out more
reasons that you should be working to establish a poolabout your ideal candidates by asking them what
of ideal job candidates as well? Yes! Having athey're looking for in an employer and what kinds of
ready-made and ever growing list of people who arebenefits and programs they'd value. And just like you
qualified, motivated and excited about working withinmight offer an incentive to employees for completing a
your organization will save you time, money, andsurvey, you can offer your candidates a small "thank
frustration. Wouldn't it be nice to just make a couple ofyou" as well. Send them a company t-shirt or gift
phone calls to people you already know are ideal forcertificate for a product or service. Let them know
the position and set up interviews? How quick andthat you value their opinions even before they become
easy is that?employees. Make them feel "included" even if they're
Well it's possible. Just taking the time to only slightlynot officially part of the team yet.
re-work your marketing activities into recruitingActivity 3: Encourage your ideal candidates to sign up
activities will create that pool of ideal job candidatesfor news. It's easier to keep in touch with people who
waiting for your call.have already submitted a resume or otherwise applied
Activity 1: Keep them in the loop. You know it'sfor a position. But don't forget the people who might
important to keep in touch with your prospects. That'snot be ready to go to work for you now but might be
why you send them regular newsletters with specialin the future. These people could be students now or
offers and updates about your business. You need toemployees at other companies. They may even be
keep these people interested in eventually doingout of the workforce for the time being but are
business with you. It's equally important to stay in touchinterested in coming to work for you later. Encourage
with your job candidates.these people to sign up for your newsletter and to be
Just because they weren't the right fit the first timethe first to hear about your latest recruiting events or
they applied for a job, doesn't mean you won't have anew job openings.
perfect position for them later on. Keep themBeing able to draw your employees from a pool of
interested in working for you by sending them emailsinterested and motivated candidates will immediately
about your company activities and programs. Includesave you time and money in the recruiting process. In
news about your company's community involvementthe long run though it will also increase your bottom line.
activities, new technology being unveiled, the winnersWhen you hire from this pool of ideal candidates,
of your employee recognition program or new benefitsyou're hiring a person who is already engaged with
package being implemented. You could even create aand committed to your company. And you know that
specific newsletter for potential employees but youengaged and committed employees are good for
don't really need to. Just send them the same one thatbusiness.
you send out to your current employees. It'll include the