Your company desperately needs more hands on deck, but skilled matches are hard to come by. You’ve scoured all of the usual channels, but your job postings grow stale each passing day without so much as a nibble from any qualified talent. So…what gives?As it turns out, employers all over the country are currently facing this challenge. With 6.7 million job openings and 6.35 million unemployed workers, there are simply more jobs than there are active job seekers. According to CareerBuilder’s annual forecast, 45% of HR Managers reported that they were unable to fill positions because they couldn’t find qualified talent, and 58% of HR managers reportedly had jobs stay open for 12 weeks or longer.Don’t be discouraged by the numbers—there are plenty of talented candidates out there. Instead, take a look at updating your recruiting strategies to better align with today’s job-hunting trends.Here are some of the ways you can start attracting the crème de la crème of job seekers in 2018:Recruit on College Campuses:Often times, recent graduates get overlooked for their lack of experience. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that experience will come with time. As Peter Schutz, the former CEO of Porsche, once said, “Hire for character, and train for skill.” Recruiting on college campuses will open you up to a larger, diverse pool of eager job seekers, who are willing and able to learn the skills necessary to become a valuable asset to the company. Career fairs are the perfect opportunity to introduce your company to the student population, and begin forging relationships with top prospects of the soon-to-be graduating class.Up the Ante with Added Incentives:An increasing number of companies are prioritizing retention through increased incentives, and are also using these benefits to successfully reel in new hires. A survey by DICE showed that 60% of tech professionals would be willing to take a pay cut to work remotely half the time (or more). This leaves pause for thought—how many companies are currently offering telecommuting flexibility? Other popularly sought-after perks are unlimited PTO and employee wellness programs. A healthy work-life-balance sits on the top of the list for many job seekers, which should naturally deem it a priority for employers, as well.Step Up Your Social Media:In the Information Age we’re now living in, most companies have a presence on social media. However, not all businesses are fully harnessing their social channels as a recruitment tool—and this is a huge missed opportunity. Plenty of active seekers and passive candidates will encounter job postings through LinkedIn, often times engaging with recruiters to discuss opportunities and set up interviews. However, active job seekers are less likely to initiate outreach through these platforms to a company displaying stale information on its newsfeed.Ensure that you are properly monitoring your company’s presence, keeping your information current, and tailoring your presence to each network. Advertise specific positions to a targeted audience on Facebook and Twitter, and use LinkedIn to identify profiles of your ideal candidates. Conduct outreach with tailored, direct messages, and start a dialogue about your openings.Create a Mobile-Friendly Strategy:Social media and mobile go together like peanut butter-and-jelly, so if you’re already utilizing a social media strategy, you’re halfway there. A staggering 90% of job seekers are using mobile devices to look for career opportunities. In other words, if your company wants to get in front of as many eyeballs as possible, this is the place to be. Take extra measures to ensure that your company website is mobile-friendly, and that the mobile application process is quick and easy.Partner with a Staffing Agency:Keep in mind that the time-consuming, cumbersome process of searching, vetting, and interviewing doesn’t have to fall entirely on your shoulders. Reach out to a staffing agency that’s backed by a team of hiring experts that understands your industry. Outsource the work to a high-caliber staffing agency like Premier Talent Partners, and rest-assured we will find you the best possible fit for your needs.Sources:

• https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/05/there-are-more-jobs-than-people-out-of-work.html
• https://resources.careerbuilder.com/news-research/employers-resolve-to-fill-skills-gap-in-2018
• https://marketing.dice.com/pdf/Dice_TechSalarySurvey_TechPro_2018.pdf
• https://www.digitalhrtech.com/why-mobile-recruitment-is-a-must/

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By Marisa (Miyasaki) Johnson, Marketing Manager at Premier Talent Partners[/caption]