18 expert-backed recruitment tips to uplevel your talent acquisition strategy in 2025

December 17, 2024

 

iCIMS Staff

9 min read

Talent switching industries. The rise of remote work. Difficult macro economics. The sudden and dramatic impact of AI. Today’s talent acquisition environment is – and has – been in flux for some times. Tried and true strategies that worked until very recently are no longer cutting it.

With so much change, what are talent leaders to do?

To help, we spoke with talent leaders from a wide range of industries and backgrounds. They shared with us what’s working for them, and how you can replicate those principles in your own talent acquisition.

Develop a candidate-centric mindset

Lucas Botzen, an HR expert at Rivermate, emphasizes that focusing on how your candidates feel is critical to attracting and retaining top talent. In today’s post-pandemic world, where hybrid and remote work dominate, having a candidate-centric mindset helps you avoid missteps like ghosting and creates a strong connection between candidates and your company’s mission from their first touchpoint.

Here are some recruitment tips to help you develop this mindset:

Audit your candidate journey

Start by evaluating every stage of your candidate’s experience, from the initial outreach to offer acceptance. For instance, Tiago Pita, a brand director, simplified his company’s application process after discovering it was too complex. This resulted in a 30% increase in completed applications within three months.

To achieve similar results:

• Map the journey: Outline every touchpoint from the moment candidates first hear about your company until they receive an offer or rejection.
• Identify pain points: Analyze where your candidates dropped off—whether due to long response times or overly complicated applications.
• Collect feedback: Regularly request feedback from them to identify areas for improvement.
• Improve communication: Keep your candidates informed with timely updates.

Provide a white-glove interview experience

Dr. John Sullivan’s study shows that companies offering a white-glove interview process have a 75% success rate in securing top talent. Here’s how you can enhance your interview experience:

• Train your team: Ensure your interviewers and hiring managers are well-versed in candidate experience best practices. Margaret Buj, an HR leader, noted that regular training reduced time-to-fill by 30% in her previous role.
• Prepare candidates: Share details on the interview format, duration, and attendees in advance with selected candidates.
• Follow up personally: Small gestures, like personalized follow-up emails, can significantly boost your candidate’s satisfaction.
• Offer feedback: Even if you don’t select a candidate, providing constructive feedback helps improve their overall experience. According to a survey, 94% of candidates value interview feedback.

Having a candidate-centric mindset is essential during recruitment and throughout the entire employee lifecycle. Recruitment doesn’t stop at hiring – it extends into onboarding and retention, ensuring your candidates have a lasting positive experience.

Strengthen your employer brand

Rob Stevenson explains that today’s candidates seek more than just a paycheck – they want to work for companies that align with their values and offer growth opportunities. He adds that one of the most effective recruitment tips to strengthen your employer brand is showcasing your company culture on social media and encouraging employee testimonials.

Deepak Skukla also emphasizes that defining a clear Employee Value Proposition (EVP) has helped his company connect its mission with candidates’ personal growth, going beyond surface perks like free snacks or remote Fridays.

Define your employee value proposition

According to Shukla, defining your EVP means getting to the core of why people want to work for you. Authenticity is key, and building a culture that celebrates both big and small wins helps reinforce that. Here are some recruitment tips to help define your EVP:

• Highlight the core pillars of your EVP, such as compensation, company culture, and growth opportunities.
• Ensure your EVP aligns with your employees’ actual experiences.
• Communicate your EVP consistently at every touchpoint, from your careers page to social media.

Activate employees as brand ambassadors

A strong EVP makes employees feel like they belong. However, employees don’t just experience company culture passively – they help shape it. This is where brand ambassadorship becomes crucial.

Here are simple steps to activate your employees as brand ambassadors:

• Encourage your employees to share stories about their experiences or growth journeys on platforms like Glassdoor and social media.
• Amplify their stories by featuring them on your company’s official channels.
• Recognize and reward employees who actively promote your brand to motivate others and display a positive culture to potential candidates.

Kevin Shahnazari shares how launching an employee ambassador program called the FinlyFluencers improved his company’s Glassdoor rating from 3.8 to 4.6 stars, and job applications increased by 40% within six months, thanks to authentic employee stories.

Expand and engage your talent pools

Shahnazari shares that his FinlyWealth talent community saved him 50% in time-to-hire for specialized roles. This community provides industry insights, hosts virtual events, and offers mentorship opportunities, helping build a pool of pre-engaged candidates.

Here are some recruitment tips to nurture passive candidates and build strong talent pipelines that’ll meet your future hiring needs:

Map your talent ecosystem

Understanding your talent ecosystem is crucial for sourcing A-list candidates more effectively. Here are simple steps to map your ecosystem:

• Identify top hiring sources like LinkedIn and community-building initiatives to engage passive talent.
• Analyze talent supply and demand for critical roles, considering skill sets and locations to identify gaps in future hiring needs.
• Develop targeted sourcing strategies for high-priority and hard-to-fill roles.

Lucas Botzen explains that predictive analytics and AI are game-changers for creating targeted sourcing strategies. By using these tools, he reduced hiring time by 50% for his company Rivermate.

Implement a Talent Pipeline Strategy

Shukla emphasizes that maintaining relationships with near-hires pays off in the long run, as they can become your top pick when the timing is right. Here are some recruitment tips to build an effective talent pipeline strategy:

• Invest in CRM platforms to organize and nurture your talent pools.
• Use your CRM to create persona-based content journeys and send relevant information to each candidate based on their career aspirations.
• Re-engage your “silver-medalist” candidates who were close to being hired, but didn’t make the final cut, for new roles.

Embrace technology and data

In today’s recruitment environment, embracing technology is one of the most impactful recruitment tips to streamline your hiring process. Tools like applicant tracking systems (ATS) and video interview platforms can enhance efficiency and improve the candidate experience. Maxime Bouillon highlights that integrating these technologies into your recruitment efforts will make the process smoother.

Bob Bath adds that investing in AI-powered tools are essential for boosting the productivity of your talent acquisition team. Here’s how you can fully embrace technology and data in your recruitment strategy:

Upgrade your talent acquisition tech stack

To optimize your hiring process, upgrading your talent acquisition tech stack is a must. Here’s how to get started:

• Audit your current tools: Identify any gaps in your sourcing, screening, interviewing, and onboarding processes.
• Invest wisely: Choose recruitment technology that fills these gaps and fits within your budget.
• Ensure integration: Make sure new tools work seamlessly with your existing systems, like your ATS and communication platforms.

Kevin Shahnazari found that upgrading his tech stack reduced his time-to-hire by 35% and improved candidate satisfaction from 7.2 to 8.9 on a 10-point scale. By following these recruitment tips, you can see similar results.

Harness the power of talent analytics

Using data effectively is another powerful recruitment tip to enhance your decision-making. Harrison Tang shares that virtual environments and talent analytics helped his team track key metrics like time-to-hire and candidate satisfaction, making their hiring process more data-driven.

Here’s how you can harness the power of talent analytics:

• Set clear KPIs: Establish metrics like time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, and candidate satisfaction, all tied to your business goals.
• Use dashboards: HR dashboards will help you track real-time performance and quickly spot bottlenecks that slow down your process.
• Leverage predictive analytics: Analyze historical data to spot trends and proactively address gaps in your talent pipeline.

Cultivate an inclusive culture

Buj emphasizes that building a diverse workforce takes intentional effort in embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into every stage of your hiring process. One of the most essential recruitment tips is ensuring that your approach to DEI is authentic and actionable.

Here are some practical strategies to help you cultivate an inclusive culture:

Mitigate bias in job descriptions and screening

Bias can surface in various ways, from job postings to candidate assessments. To mitigate bias, consider these steps:

• Use inclusive language: Ensure your job descriptions use gender-neutral pronouns and inclusive language. Buj saw a 25% increase in female applicants for a software engineering role after making these changes.
• Implement blind resume reviews and structured interviews: During her time at Mixmax, Buj reduced unconscious bias by using structured interviews, which allowed for a more objective comparison of candidates.
• Set diversity goals and track progress: At Avanade, holding leaders accountable for building diverse teams and measuring their success at each stage of the hiring funnel led to significant improvements, Buj noted.

Highlight your DEI commitment

When communicating your company’s DEI commitment, authenticity is key. Buj shares the following recruitment tips to effectively highlight your DEI efforts:

• Share your DEI mission and progress: Be transparent about your diversity goals, your progress, and the areas where you’re working to improve. Sharing data in annual reports or on your website can build trust.
• Feature stories of diverse employees and leaders: At Avanade, showcasing career growth stories from underrepresented employees demonstrated the company’s commitment to diversity, helping candidates feel more connected to the culture.
• Offer inclusive benefits: Avanade’s ERG for women in tech, which provides mentorship and professional development, played a pivotal role in improving gender representation at the leadership level.

Upskill and empower your TA team

Shahnazari shares that after investing in upskilling his talent acquisition (TA) team, they saved 40% of screening time and saw a 50% increase in positive responses from passive candidates. One of the most effective recruitment tips is to consistently focus on the professional development of your TA team. Here are some best practices:

Provide ongoing recruiter training

Buj highlights how, at Yieldify, she led an initiative focused on improving interviewing skills and mitigating unconscious bias, which resulted in an 85% direct hiring rate. Additionally, 26% of new hires came through the employee referral program. Here’s how you can invest in the ongoing training of your TA team:

• Define a clear competency model: Establish core skills such as sourcing, interviewing, and DEI best practices to ensure your recruiters succeed.
• Invest in relevant training programs: Provide training that addresses key recruitment aspects, including the use of analytics and tools.
• Encourage peer learning: Pair less experienced recruiters with seasoned professionals to foster a collaborative environment where your TA team can share and overcome challenges together.

Prevent recruiter burnout

Parker Gilbert emphasizes that preventing recruiter burnout is critical to maintaining an effective team. He successfully promoted wellness among his team by encouraging regular breaks and open communication about workload. To avoid burnout among your TA team, consider these recruitment tips:

• Manage workload effectively: Regularly assess and balance the requisition loads of your recruiters while providing them with automation tools and administrative support.
• Promote wellness and mental health: Offer counseling services, flexible work schedules, and prioritize work-life balance.
• Celebrate successes: Recognize and reward your recruiters, whether through bonuses for meeting goals or public acknowledgment of their hard work.

Bringing it all together

In summary, building a successful recruitment strategy doesn’t stop at hiring—it extends to onboarding and employee retention. Your recruitment process should be part of a larger talent strategy that prioritizes how your candidates feel. To ensure success, invest in the development and well-being of your recruiters and HR team.

Additionally, remember that recruitment requires a multifaceted approach, from adopting a candidate-centric mindset and strengthening your employer brand to leveraging technology, cultivating diversity, and empowering your TA team. These strategies form a strong foundation that guarantees you’ll attract top talent.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, applying each element—whether it’s enhancing the candidate experience, promoting DEI, or upskilling your team—plays a critical role in building a robust recruitment process and positions you for success in the evolving world of work.

For more expert insights and resources on talent acquisition, check out the rest of our blog and subscribe to our newsletter. Our all-in-one talent acquisition platform can help you put these recruiting tips into practice to build winning teams.