How to recruit without using recruitment agencies: A super-easy guide

Learning how to recruit without using recruitment agencies and hiring gurus outside your organization can make all the difference. In fact, many companies choose to go for these alternative ways to hire new people. Now, why should you do so? What are the cons of hiring staffing agencies? And what is the best way to recruit employees without using external recruiters’ help? 

Make sure to read this simple guide & find a few tested and effective ways to attract qualified hires while dodging the typical slips and obstacles linked with outside recruiting teams. 

Pros & cons of hiring through a recruitment agency 

According to last year’s stats, 45% of employers struggled to find candidates that match their requirements and fulfill their precise hiring needs. Moreover, the percentage of companies that have experienced a skill gap in the past two years is nearly twice as large. And so, many businesses decide to dig deeper into the staffing industry and find an outside team of recruiting professionals that will help them overcome these challenges. Here are a few buzzworthy perks of pairing up with external recruiters:

✅ Faster hiring due to a vast talent pool in their database, 

✅ The specialized knowledge that guarantees more qualified candidates and promotes the company’s brand,

✅ Insider info and understanding of the market, which covers preferred salary ranges, available skill sets, benefits that new hires truly appreciate, etc.

Also, more than 73% of candidates don’t actually look for new jobs. Instead, they’re passive and hard to reach without some reliable helpers. 

3 key reasons why you should not use a recruitment agency

Now, on the flip-side, there are several solid reasons not to hire a staffing company. Here are the main factors to take into account:

⚠️ The results may be quick, but the overall costs can be pretty unpredictable,

⚠️ The cultural problems could emerge since outside recruiters rarely get a perfectly clear idea of what your candidate persona is like; They could nail a few key points but miss the big picture and recommend a candidate that won’t stick around for a long time,

⚠️ The lack of control over hiring processes could be an issue; Some agencies don’t have what it takes to recruit the talents properly, which could lead to backlash, a bad reputation, and some extra expenses. 

So, to save yourself some trouble, it’s often better to take the matter into your own hands. And learning how to recruit without using recruitment agencies and departments is a proven way to ditch these frequent headaches. 

3 pro tips on how to recruit without using recruitment agencies 

Now you know it – there are some major advantages to pairing up with recruiting specialists outside your company. But there are also some serious drawbacks, including cash burnout and poorly structured processes. So, what methods can be used to recruit without using recruitment agencies? These are the most effective ones:

🔎 Boolean search,

🌐 Social media recruiting and LinkedIn outreach, 

🔗 Hiring through referrals, both internal and external.

So, get ready to see how each option works and grab hold of a few tested practices you should master. 

#1 Get ready to learn about Boolean search

Boolean search is a systematic search that allows you to use phrases like AND, OR, and NOT to widen or limit the search results when sourcing candidates. It helps you leverage large databases and spot the right people better than some of the standard methods. So, to conduct these searches well, one has to use operators and modifiers. Operators broaden the search by adding multiple keywords to the bar, while modifiers keep it organized. 

Now, these are the basic rules you should always follow:

1️⃣ Spell the operators in uppercase,

2️⃣ Save your search strings in a Notepad file or an Excel sheet,

3️⃣ Use spelling modifications of the keywords (for example, Backend, Back-end, Back End, etc.).

Boolean searches can make a massive difference in your recruitment process. Be sure to try them out and perfect your strategies. 

#2 Boost your social media recruitment strategies

These days, everyone’s online. To be more precise, 58% of the global population uses social media. Roughly, the number of users is estimated to be around 4.62 billion. Moreover, almost 80% of job seekers use social media to look for new career opportunities and get informed about the best employers. 

So, it’s safe to say that every company should learn how to use social media for recruitment to get optimal results. But before you spread your brand across multiple platforms, it’s vital to find out exactly how candidates see your business. Know your values and weak points that need some refinement. Then, see which channels matter the most to your target audience and start by building up your presence right there. There are numerous choices, so do the research and plan carefully. Better yet, interview your employees and take some words to the wise from them. Also, encourage them to advocate for your brand and share your company’s content. 

Finally, it’s invaluable to track your progress. Keep an eye on each channel you use and measure the success of your posts. Take time to see what has the biggest impact on your chosen audience and which sources drive the favored outcomes.

💡 Pro tip: Studies show that the application rate increases by 34% when a job post includes a video. Diversify your content and keep it engaging + real. Don’t oversell and stay consistent. 

Reaching out through LinkedIn: Cold outreach basics

Cold outreach is a phrase used to describe all sudden interactions with potential hires or business partners. For instance, a recruiter sends a text to a developer who hasn’t expected them to reach out. So, it’s not labeled as stalking, but… well, it does need some warming up. 

Now, when an unsuspecting recipient gets a message from an unknown sender, it’s absolutely necessary to grab their attention ASAP. That means that the subject line and the intro have to be precise and interesting. Keep that in mind. Then, when you make your point, it’s always wise to spark a conversation. However, asking too many questions or staffing the text with CTAs won’t get them anywhere. 

The most effective LinkedIn cold messages contain around 100 words. So, it’s paramount to pack all the key facts into a few brief lines. And those lines also need to be as personalized as possible. Use the templates to learn a few basic rules and hacks, but never ever copy, paste, and forward your job offers. 

#3 Use referrals to hire the best candidates

According to research, referrals save money, help companies hire faster, and secure improved retention rates. In fact, 45% of referred candidates tend to stay with the company longer than four years. Whereas the percentage of hires who came through a job board has 20% less chance to stay that long within the firm. So, make sure to give it a go. Assess your needs, talk to your crew, and pick the best tools. 

Set up an employee referral program

Setting up an employee referral program requires an extra moment or two to plan and execute the whole drill well. First, you should have a clear idea of what you aim to achieve and how you’ll move toward it. Then, make sure to communicate with your employees and inform them about your intentions. Share your thoughts, give them access to job descriptions, and let them know about the importance of each role you’re looking to fill. In the meantime, let them speak and follow their tips (because – they used to be candidates before you hired them, right?). 

Aside from knowing and saying what you want, it’s imperative to highlight what you’re not looking for in a future employee. 

Finally, when things get rolling, it’s essential to keep everyone in the loop. Share information and give feedback regularly. Know who your most efficient referrers are and show appreciation whenever possible. Also, by then, you must have a rewarding system. Offer financial + non-financial bonuses for referrals and praise all efforts. 

Explore referral-based platforms 

Aside from asking for employee referrals, there are other ways to get recommendations. As a matter of fact, you can get even more quality hires by expanding your search. And all you need is the right tool. 

These days, companies can use a referral-based platform to collect resumes and get improved results in terms of hiring easily. The entire concept is based on simplified recruitment and getting things done remotely. So, all you have to do is post a job, add a detailed description, and set a bounty you’ll offer for each successful referral. Then, the online community of industry professionals and seasoned recruiters will be doing the sourcing on your behalf. The CVs you’ll get your hands on will contain the skills and masteries you’ve asked for. And also, the referred talents will surely be interested in meeting you. 

Learn how to recruit without using recruitment agencies now

There are numerous ways to recruit without recruitment agencies and get astonishing results. Boolean search, social media + LinkedIn outreach, and employee referrals are just some of the proven ways to grab the attention of the best talents. And let’s not forget the external referrals and the massive impact a simple recruitment affiliate software can have on your processes and outcomes! 

So make sure to try these tactics out ASAP. And take a sneak peek at the brand-new tool that will power your processes and grow your team through trustworthy recommendations.