In the world of hiring, building up a solid recruiting network is key.
For much of HigherEd, active recruitment for open roles is still a new concept. Attracting talent is not as simple as it used to be, especially with the U.S. workforce feeling increasing skepticism about higher education as a workplace. In fact, one survey found that 54% of workers who left their roles in education between April 2020 and April 2022 did not return to that industry.
Hiring teams can no longer rely on a pool of passionate HigherEd workers who want to remain in colleges and universities—the modern workforce is willing to change jobs and industries frequently to find what they value (including compensation, career development opportunities, and workplace flexibility).
With all this in mind, it’s no surprise that for your next open role, you might need to get creative with how you share your position description and engage in active outreach. For this, you need a solid recruiting network. Read on for some tips on expanding that network!
Build a strong LinkedIn network
Posting open roles on LinkedIn is a great way to get them out to a broad network of both active and passive job seekers. If an individual member of your team is going to share out the role, even better—but make sure they have an expansive LinkedIn network so they can reach the right people. On LinkedIn, the more people who connect with, the easier it is to continue building connections. Make sure you’re connecting with job-seekers and people already working in HigherEd, but think outside the box as well—what other types of jobs are mission driven or education related? Expand your network into those industries as well and you might be surprised to find people looking for a new opportunity.
Find the right job boards
Finding the right job boards is a great way to build out your recruiting network and to hire the right candidates. There are job boards that serve very specific markets and purposes, so as you build out your ideal candidate profile or narrow down your hiring goals. If you’re focused on DEI efforts, check out this list of diversity-focused job boards compiled by Case Western Reserve University.
Get out there
Build your recruiting network by networking the old-fashioned way—attend events, webinars, and talks and join HigherEd focused organizations. Make connections with peers and then with the colleagues and peers of those peers, and maintain those relationships. When you’re ready to start hiring, you’ll have plenty of potential candidates and connections who could suggest potential candidates for you. Plus, you’ll have the benefit of getting to know other HigherEd experts who can share best practices and tips.
Look close to home
When building your recruiting network, it’s easy to think of only expanding outside of your institution. But don’t forget that there is a wealth
of talent already on campus. Building an internal recruiting network can be vital. Internal hiring is growing across industries. According to Higher Ed Jobs, internal mobility is up 20% since the spring of 2020. It’s time to consider the internal market of employees, utilizing professional development opportunities and upskilling for internal candidates who could be a good fit for an open role.
When you build your internal network, you’ll also have access to a group of people who already know and love your institution, making them uniquely qualified to recommend professional connections, friends, or former colleagues who would be a good fit for the institutional culture. This also makes them excellent advertisers for your position—leverage your internal network to spread the word about your role!
Final thoughts
Building a good recruiting network can be difficult, but if you focus on the needs of your institution, the benefits of social media and in-person connections, and the internal network that already exists at your college or university, you’ll be on the right track.
If you need a better way to keep track of and engage your candidate pipeline, PeopleAdmin can help! Check out more information about our Applicant Tracking System (built just for HigherEd) or schedule a demo.