Did you know?
On average, each corporate job offer attracts 250 resumes. Of those candidates, 4 to 6 will get called for an interview, and only one will get the job.
The evolution of hiring needs and recruitment may not always benefit recruiters and HRs. More companies have started to realize that they need to change their approach to make their recruiting strategies more effective.
There are multiple sources of information where a candidate can find information about a company in just a few clicks.
Looking for Recruiting Software? Check out SoftwareSuggest’s list of the best recruiting software solutions.
Thus, creating your employer brand becomes essential, and recruiters are turning into marketers to attract only the best candidates and offer them a great experience.
This blog will help you understand the main recruitment methods: inbound and outbound recruiting and how it shapes the hiring process.
What is Inbound Recruiting?
Inbound recruiting lets you create opportunities for candidates to find your company. It is aimed at creating engagement and raising awareness among candidates. Inbound recruiting also involves using email campaigns and social media to provide potential candidates with engaging content.
Several companies that have become successful over the years do not need to search for talent. Their main goal is to select the best out of a big pool of candidates willing to work for them.
Also Read: Sourcing and Attracting Candidates Through Social Media Recruiting
Just like digital marketers create the buyer’s journey to attract buyers and convert them into customers, inbound recruiters work with candidates. They use social media, employer branding content, SEO-optimized landing pages, referral channels, and PPC campaigns. These tools help them attract the right candidates.
Additionally, inbound recruiters also use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to reduce cumbersome paperwork and simplify the application process.
What is Outbound Recruiting?
Outbound recruiting involves posting jobs on websites or job boards. Recruiters search for promising candidates and use emails, cold-calling, ads, events to attract candidates. If recruiters don’t reach out to the candidates, the latter wouldn’t otherwise think about working in the company or even know about it.
Candidates who wish to learn about open positions and are open to dialogue are the main target of outbound recruiting strategies.
Recruiters first analyze the requirements and specifics of a job then compose a perfect candidate persona. Unfortunately, creating a good talent pool can take years of work. Furthermore, recruiters also need to have well-developed social sourcing skills.
Recruiters also use various online platforms to look for experts in specific industries. These include ProductHunt for product managers, Github for programmers, and Medium for content writers
Main Differences Between Outbound and Inbound Recruiting
| Inbound Recruiting | Outbound Recruiting |
| Inbound recruiting is a long-term solution. It allows you to build an employer brand that will help you attract potential employees and bring in a talent pool. | Outbound recruiting is a perfect short-term solution and is used when companies have an urgent need for fresh talent. |
| It is cost-effective and demonstrates a better quality of hire. | It is hard to use as the only hiring strategy. The quality of hires may or may not be upto mark. |
| Inbound recruiting helps candidates assess their expectations, let them understand what a company offers. It also helps them get an idea of the company culture and environment. | Outbound recruiting involves hiring managers that initiate conversations with candidates to understand if they have any “pain points. |
Advantages of Inbound Recruiting
Here are some advantages of using inbound recruiting.
1. Reduced Effort
Inbound recruiting doesn’t require you to spend many hours communicating with all candidates. Moreover, you also don’t need strong scouting skills. All you need to do is improve your brand awareness, place advertisements and create an application platform.
2. Wider Range of Applicants
Inbound recruiting allows you to have a much bigger pool of candidates. If your brand is popular among candidates, there will be hundreds and or even thousands of people who will be willing to work with you.
If your brand becomes well-known among candidates, there are hundreds or even thousands of people who are interested in your company and want to become your employees. Thus, you get a wider range of candidates to choose from and have more opportunities to find the best final candidate.
3. Lasting Effect
Once your recruiting strategy is set up and works, it will bring you, candidates. You will have a pool of applicants with new people coming all the time. There’s no need to start all over again; each time, there will be a new opening waiting for a candidate.
Also Read: Top 19 Recruiting Software Tools of 2020
Advantages of Outbound Recruiting
While inbound recruiting has a lot to offer and shows the best results in the modern talent market, outbound recruiting cannot be ignored entirely.
Moreover, it still has certain benefits over inbound recruiting. This is one of the reasons why hiring managers and recruiters shouldn’t forget about outbound strategies.
1. Easier Vetting
While inbound recruiting requires less upfront effort, it also requires you to be more serious about the vetting stage of recruiting. Moreover, there are too many candidates that need to be analyzed and interviewed. Outbound recruiting includes this process initially, so you already know who can or cannot be a good fit for the position.
2. Specific Targets
If you have a clear understanding of what skills you need in a candidate, outbound recruiting allows you to find the perfect fit. It would be much more challenging if you had to wait till your candidate appears among dozens of other people.
It is undoubtedly better when you are dealing with positions that require particular skills or need a candidate who is exceptionally talented and is well-versed with your industry.
3. Personalized Experience
The entire process of outbound recruiting is more personal. When your brand initiates conversation with candidates, it looks friendlier. Moreover, it also allows you to build good relationships with your employees right from the start.
It is also one of the reasons why recruiters prefer outbound recruiting. This is because it creates many opportunities to engage with candidates instead of just checking new resumes or cover letters.
What to Choose?
Well, while both methods have their advantages, a mix of both will give you access to a big pool of candidates. If you are dealing with a new firm and need quick results, outbound recruiting will help you sail through the boat. On the other hand, inbound recruiting will allow you to get as many candidates who are interested in working with you.
The majority of modern companies consider outbound recruiting as their plan B. They use it when they cannot find people with the necessary skills or experience among the existing talent pool. However, when using inbound strategies, you are sure to attract new talent, and it gets very easy to fill an open position.
The world of recruitment is constantly changing and evolving. While the outbound approach is more personal and engaging, effective recruiting should include elements of both methods. This will help you make skilled candidates that will be there for a longer haul.
Did we miss out on any aspect? Share your views in the comments below!
A logophile by heart, Supriya loves to research and write about the latest technology and trends. She believes that writing is the best medium to influence people in a positive way and has 3+ years of writing experience.
