Logic tells us that most of the best candidates are already employed. That’s not to say they all are. After all, there’ll be many brilliant candidates fresh from studying, equipped with modern skills and an unrelenting willingness to learn, grow and develop.
But for the sake of this article, let’s just say most schools want to recruit teachers of the best quality possible and, for want of a better phrase, poach them.
For obvious reasons, passive candidates are harder to recruit – they aren’t actively scouring job sites and social media for the latest opportunities. But when you consider the fact that 85% of global professionals are open to switching jobs, getting their attention might not be as hard as you initially thought.
If you find you can’t recruit teachers easily, the biggest challenge you have is making your school stand out above all the rest, so that top talent are the first to jump on vacancies as and when they arise. Here are some handy tips, inspired by a TechnologyAdvice article.
Embrace artificial intelligence (AI)
AI has drastically changed the recruitment industry, with automation tools allowing schools to recruit smarter and faster.
For data-driven recruitment, the Eteach software uses AI and data analytics so you can find out where your candidates come from and which channels offer the best return for your investment.
You’re also able to attract teachers with job adverts specifically designed to be found by the right people on search engines, and to display perfectly on mobile phones.
Over half (55%) of recruiters say AI will make up the main part of the recruitment process over the next five years. So if you haven’t got on board, it’s about time you did.
Get social
Social media has been an important part of the recruitment process for a while now, especially in the attracting stage. The article points to a study which shows that employers who use social media to recruit see a 50% boost in the quality of candidates.
Yet, whether you’re sharing vacancies via Facebook, reaching out to specific candidates on LinkedIn or sharing engaging school updates on Twitter, social media is but one piece of the recruitment puzzle. Your social pages should be integrated with a mobile-friendly careers site that establishes your school’s unique brand and offers a one-stop shop for candidates looking for jobs or more information about your school.
The Eteach school recruitment software allows you to instantly give your school a makeover thanks to its powerful, real-time editing software that integrates with your social media channels. And speaking of social, the software also allows you to broadcast your SEO-optimised job vacancies across different platforms in just a few clicks.
Ensure your brand appeals to passive candidates
Schools, just like any business, have an employer brand – and improving yours could lead to a boost in quality applicants. Figures from Hubspot cited by the article show that 92% of candidates would consider a new job if a company (or in this case, a school) with an excellent reputation offered them a position.
Here are some ways to improve your employer brand:
- Focus on growth. 87% of people say that professional career growth and development is important in a job. So make sure you shout about professional development opportunities for teachers within your job ads and even across social channels.
- Promote culture. Sharing photos and videos of your team (with permission) and any events or initiatives your school is involved in helps passive candidates picture themselves working for you. It’s a chance to show what makes your school unique, and could end up being what swings it for the next talented candidate.
- Encourage advocacy. People trust people more than they do employers, so incentivising your staff to share your school’s content on their own social media sites could catch the eye of passive candidates. Those candidates will see a team that’s engaged and passionate – and 44.5% are more likely to apply for a job if they see it on the profile of someone they know as opposed to a company or recruiter’s site.
Be flexible with interviews
Is your interview process stuck in the 90s? Poor interviews make 65% of candidates lose interest in a job, so getting it right is crucial.
Being flexible with interviews means offering options. It may not be practical for some candidates to come into the school, but those candidates may end up being the best of the bunch. So think about offering video interviews as an option, and follow up via a conference or telephone call to save the candidate making another trip to see you.
If you want to find out how you can engage more passive candidates with purpose-built school recruitment software, request a demo today.
