In today’s highly competitive talent market, it can be difficult to find the right candidate for your organization. While traditional recruiting techniques such as reviewing resumes and interviewing are still essential, there’s a growing demand for more unconventional hiring methods that go beyond surface level and help employers find candidates with the skills, values and growth potential they need. In this blog post, we’ll be exploring some of the most creative and innovative ways to recruit that can help you uncover hidden gems and build stronger and more diverse teams.
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1. Skilled Based Challenges and Auditions
Instead of just relying on resumes, think about adding skills-based challenges or auditions to your hiring process. These could be real-world scenarios relevant to the role you’re applying for, where you’re demonstrating your skills and problem solving abilities. This gives employers the opportunity to evaluate your practical skills and creativity outside of what’s on your resume.
2. Gamified Assessments
It’s no secret that gamification is a hot topic in the hiring world. Turning assessments into interactive games (or challenges) not only makes the hiring process more interesting for candidates, but it also helps employers assess candidates’ cognitive abilities, team work, and flexibility. Gamified assessments often reveal insights into candidates’ behaviors and decision-making skills, providing recruiters with a 360-degree view of a candidate’s capabilities.
3. Blind Hiring
Blind hiring eliminates unconscious bias from the hiring process. In this method, candidates’ personal information (e.g. name, gender, age) is kept confidential, leaving the focus on the candidate’s qualifications and skills. This approach promotes diversity and ensures that candidates are evaluated on the basis of merit.
4. Reverse Mentoring
What is reverse mentoring? Reverse mentorship is the process of matching senior employees with junior candidates during the recruitment process. This approach gives new perspectives and helps employers gain insight into candidates’ thinking, learning, and change. It also helps to create a learning environment within the company.
5. Hackathon and Innovation Challenges
Hosting a hackathon or innovation challenge is a great way to draw in creative and tech talent. Not only do you get to show off your skills, but you’ll also get to show employers why you’re a great problem solver and team player. Hackathons are also great networking opportunities and a great way to find candidates who excel in a fast-paced environment.
6. Cultural fit through Informal Meetings
While traditional interviews are formal, they don’t always provide insight into a candidate’s true character or cultural compatibility. Consider scheduling an informal meeting, such as a coffee chat or team lunch, to assess how well candidates align with your company’s values and culture. Informal meetings can help establish rapport and uncover insights that a formal interview may not provide.
Unconventional Hiring Techniques Unconventional hiring techniques can be a great way to find exceptional talent that you may have missed out on through conventional hiring methods. Thinking outside the box and incorporating creative approaches into your hiring process can help you build a diverse and dynamic workforce that will help your organization stay competitive in today’s ever-evolving business environment. Not every unconventional technique is right for every company. Experimenting with unconventional hiring techniques can give you valuable insights and make impactful hiring decisions.
