Table of Contents
Moving the needle across all of your biggest talent acquisition priorities just might be the top struggle for today’s HR leaders. Hiring events—especially when leveraged through a well-considered hiring event strategy and as a function of a broader talent acquisition strategy—can make a world of difference for every hiring initiative an organization has. And, oftentimes, hiring events can benefit multiple initiatives simultaneously, making them an efficient and cost-effective way to net better results.
These are the five most important hiring initiatives for the modern talent acquisition executive:
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB)
- High-volume Recruiting
- Specialized and Hard-to-find talent
- Campus Recruiting and Early Career Hiring
- Talent Pipeline
Read on to learn how hiring events support each of these initiatives.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Hiring events offer the ability to hyperfocus on niche talent pools to improve the diversity of your pipeline and build a crucial foundation for further progress, no matter what your starting point may be. Hosting recruiting events that cater to underrepresented populations can be a highly effective way to engage with candidates who may feel excluded from more generic or universal hiring events. Our clients have seen success hosting events that promote accessibility, neurodiversity, veterans, Black engineers, women in manufacturing—and this approach works for any DEIB goals your organization has set. Featuring your Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) in hiring events can be another way to work on DEIB goals, especially with groups organized around identity and other social issues.
High-Volume Recruiting
Employers with high-volume recruiting needs understand the importance of having a high-volume recruiting strategy in place. Hosting hiring events make it easier—and faster—to screen and interview candidates at scale. During virtual events, employers can use pre-screening knockout questions to filter candidates before they meet with a recruiter or hiring manager, which can happen during the same virtual session or at a later date. Many high-volume hiring organizations have found success using virtual events for first-round screening before inviting finalists to on-site events, in-person interviews, and site tours. Hiring events help high volume employers meet their TA goals on time and on budget, saving stress and headaches in the process. The right high-volume hiring event tool makes this easy, too.
Specialized & Hard-to-find Talent
Hiring for hard-to-fill positions or finding candidates with special certifications takes the regular challenges of talent acquisition and multiplies them. If your team needs to hire specialized talent—such as people with security clearance, technical degrees, medical licenses, or rare skills—hosting hiring events targeting those talent pools can help attract candidates who match what you’re looking for, especially when events are used in conjunction with a specialized candidate sourcing strategy.
Campus Recruiting & Early Career Hiring
Campus recruiting is a fast-growing focus in talent acquisition and hiring events have nearly always been a part of it. However, best practices for campus recruiting are evolving and employers with early career hiring needs should take note. No longer are TA teams limited to campus visits, pop-up tents, and handing out branded swag. Employers can host a variety of engaging event options—online and in-person—to attract and engage early career talent.
Talent Pipeline
Building a thriving talent pipeline is about so much more than collecting resumes in your ATS. These days, the employer brand plays a key role—and many organizations are taking proactive measures to build awareness in their communities, both for existing job openings and career paths for future generations of employees. We’re hearing from TA teams who have made connections with local high schools and middle schools—yes, middle schools—to educate kids about career options, answer their questions, and spark their imaginations. Participating in career days at local schools is a long game but it’s a smart play, given the current talent shortage and the proportion of the workforce that will retire in the years to come.
Paving the Way for Success
The success you have (or don’t) with your hiring initiatives reflects on you and your team. And, for many TA leaders working to advance their careers, being able to improve the organization’s recruiting process, candidate experience, and hiring outcomes in ways that are cost-effective and time-efficient can make a strong case for gaining expanded responsibilities or that hard-earned promotion. Leveraging the benefits and power of hiring events is how savvy TA leaders stand out from the crowd with demonstrable results that executive colleagues and board members love to see.
Ready to learn how you can support all your talent acquisition initiatives with Brazen?
Like this post? Try these!
- How to Create a Veteran and Military Spouse Hiring Strategy
3 Ways TA Directors are Driving Recruiting Innovation & Results
- 4 Ways for TA Leaders to Help Their Recruiting Teams Accelerate Their Wins
Stay in the Loop. Join 10,000+ Talent Acquisition Leaders
