5 Strategies in Finding Niche Talent for Your Staffing Firm

Talent is tough to find in today’s tight market. Niche talent is even harder to get.

If you’ve tried conventional methods of finding specialized talent without success, it may be time to try something new.

Here are a few ideas you may not have considered.

Rethink your requirements. You may be unintentionally eliminating the best prospects. Does the candidate truly need a specialized degree, or a degree at all? Some of the best experience comes on the job or through military or other experience. Is your “years of experience” requirement arbitrary? A candidate with two years of experience is unlikely to apply for a posting requiring three to five years experience, but they could be exactly who you’re looking for.

Reassess the position. Ask your client to revisit what they hope to achieve by filling this position. Is there a more creative way to reach that goal? Sometimes there are other ways to meet the need whether it means promoting from within and then backfilling the lower-level position, or using contract specialists just when those talents are needed instead of adding a full-time employee to the headcount. Niche talent is often easier to find on a project basis than for a permanent role.

Look someplace different. Are you looking in the right place? Where are the people you’re looking for? Do they belong to specific organizations or user groups? If they are concentrated in a different geographic area, you may be able to convince candidates to relocate or recruit them to work remotely. If you’re not finding the right people where you’re looking, expand your search.

Reach out to passive candidates. The best people are likely to be currently employed. Reach out to them there. As a staffing firm, you have a major advantage over your clients. You are free to contact even those employed at your client’s competitors, which is not something they can ethically do.

Sharpen your sales skills. When you’re looking for talent, you must sell them on the opportunities you have to offer, tell them why they should work with you and motivate them to leave where they are currently working.

About Avionté:

At Avionté, we provide solutions for staffing firms that help you to operate more effectively and keep your operational costs down. Our comprehensive staffing software delivers integrated software systems that make it easier to drive growth, maximize profitability and streamline your administrative tasks, so you can focus on your serving your customers. To learn more about the many benefits of Avionté staffing software, contact us today.