The 8 most common hiring challenges and how to solve them.

Pick a challenge below to get started.

"1. We are not a well-known employer brand."

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"2. I can't find quality candidates."

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"3. I need to keep hiring costs to a minimum."

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"4. I don't have a dedicated hiring resource."

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"5. I'm losing quality candidates to higher salaries."

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"6. How can I pick candidates that'll make a good fit?"

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"7. My hiring strategy isn't reaching new people."

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"8. Onboarding new hires sometimes takes a back seat."

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"1. We are not a well-known employer brand."

Solution

Make your company stand out.

It might seem difficult to find and attract quality candidates when you’re still growing your business. So how do you get the word out? Start by sharing your company's story online. This’ll help get people talking, researching, and applying.

Illustration of a recruiter sitting on the ground and working on their laptop. A blue backpack is on the ground behind them.

Find brand ambassadors

Encourage your employees to share all the reasons they love working at your company by submitting testimonials, posting photos from company events, or writing blog posts.

Create an engaging career site

Create a page that makes it easy to apply for a job at your company and shows off your company culture.

Use your employee network

Find candidates through your employees’ personal networks using Work With Us Ads. These ads promote your company and open roles to your employees’ connections.

more likely to apply to a job when candidates are familiar with a company.

Source: LinkedIn Career Pages, October 2018.

of decision makers say it's easier to attract top talent when they know about your organization.

Source: Aptitude Research Partners, August 2017.

Doesn't sound right? Could it be that your hiring strategy isn't reaching new people?

"2. I can't find quality candidates."

Solution

Win over passive job seekers.

To increase the quality of your hires, it’s essential to reach out to passive—not just active—candidates. While your ideal hire may be happy in their current role, they are most likely still open to new opportunities. Try to create a natural dialogue about career growth and development when you reach out to someone.

Illustration of a recruiter sitting and looking at potential candidates on a desktop computer.

Start a genuine conversation

Passive candidates might not be eager to talk if you’re selling a job change. Instead, build a relationship by discussing your mutual respect of the industry or a common interest.

Involve the hiring manager

Intrigue passive candidates by offering expertise and insights pulled from the hiring manager’s experience on the team and in the industry.

Focus on recommended candidates

Quickly find both active and passive job seekers who are well-suited to your role with LinkedIn Recruiter.

of the global workforce is made up of passive talent who aren’t actively job searching.

Source: LinkedIn Talent Solutions, 2018.

reason people change jobs is career opportunity.

Source: LinkedIn Talent Solutions, 2015.

Still not quite right? Could it be that onboarding new hires sometimes takes a back seat?

"3. I need to keep hiring costs to a minimum."

Solution

Maximize your hiring budget.

We’ve all dealt with inconsistent hiring needs or slashed budgets. It’s essential to find clever ways to make your time and budget go further. Start by tapping into channels and tactics that are proven to deliver quality candidates without breaking the bank.

Illustration of a clipboard, calculator, dollar bill, and credit card.

Ask employees to suggest candidates

Two-thirds of people who are referred to a position or who already know the hiring manager become top performers.

Measure recruiting impact

Identify the most impactful recruiting and hiring benchmarks and how they impact your bottom line. That way you can maximize budget when you’re hiring.

Post jobs only when needed

LinkedIn Jobs makes it easy—and super fast—to get a pool of quality candidates that match your open role. Regardless of budget.

increase in job applications when you put your job post in front of the right candidates.

Source: LinkedIn, 2019.

of people who are promoted or referred wind up being top performers.

Source: LinkedIn Talent Blog, 2018.

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“4. I don’t have a dedicated hiring resource.”

Solution

Build a pipeline of quality candidates.

Chances are there are a few skills your company repeatedly hires for. Think strategically about which roles you’ll need to fill in two months, or two years. That way you’ll build your pipeline on a rolling basis—reducing cost per hire and increasing your chances to fill roles faster.

Illustration of two recruiters looking at a desktop computer with one pointing at the screen.

Identify top performers

Ask your network to find people who match your needs. It’s a great way to develop a pipeline of prescreened talent.

Be with candidates

Create a voice for your company that people want to follow so that when new roles open up, interested candidates who are already following you can apply quickly.

Target talent automatically

Immediately reach people who are a good fit for your open roles using unique data from LinkedIn with recruitment marketing tactics like Sponsored Content.

of job seekers say the reputation of a company as an employer is important when making a decision on where to apply for a job.

Source: Recruitment Statistics 2018: Trends & Insights in Hiring Talented Candidates, talentnow.

of candidates would apply for a job when it’s from an employer brand that’s actively maintained.

Source: 2016 social recruitment trends forecast, workable.

Doesn't sound right? Could it be that you can't tell who'll make a good fit?

"5. I'm losing quality candidates to higher salaries."

Solution

Celebrate your company's differences.

When you can’t compete with other organizations due to compensation, focus on the unique things you can offer candidates. Whether it’s the challenging and important work the role requires, a generous time-off policy, or pizza party Fridays, focus on what makes your organization stand out.

Illustration of three recruiters at a desk conversing and working.

Craft original content

Learn to market your company with original content or employee testimonials that provide a clear picture of what it’s like to work with you.

Show off employee benefits

Sometimes it’s not just a paycheck that piques candidate interests. When you’re a smaller company, you may be able to offer perks that larger ones can’t.

Invest in learning

Learning opportunities not only make your company more attractive to candidates but increase retention. Learn more about LinkedIn Learning and the 13,000 expert-led courses available.

of employees would stay longer if their employer invested in their career.

Source: LinkedIn Workforce Learning Report, 2019.

of employees did not choose salary as the most important factor to inform their decisions to take or reject a job.

Source: Lexington Law, 2019.

Doesn't sound right? Could it be that you don't have a dedicated hiring resource?

"6. How can I identify candidates that'll make a good fit?"

Solution

Search for candidates who will add to your culture.

Creating a clearly defined vision for your company culture, and sharing it widely, is the first step. Once your culture is defined, search for candidates who will add to your company’s larger initiatives and remind interviewers of that vision before every conversation.

Illustration of a recruiter interviewing and evaluating a potential candidate.

Write performance-based job descriptions

Stop using hard skills and competencies to define your requirements, says Lou Adler. Create job descriptions that define the work a person needs to do, not the skills needed to do the work.

Screen for soft skills

These personal characteristics are often more difficult to assess in candidates but are key to finding strong hires. Use the free Interview Question Generator to create customized interview questions that screen for soft skills.

Support employer brand ambassadors

Create a hiring team that’s made up of brand advocates who can easily assess whether there’d be cultural alignment.

A company’s culture is the #1 factor for candidates when considering a potential employer.

Source: LinkedIn Global Recruiting Trends, 2018.

of job seekers first visit a company's online properties—website, social media, etc.—to gain insight on employer brand identity and company culture.

Source: Employer Branding Study, CareerArc 2015.

Doesn't sound right? Could it be that you aren't finding quality candidates?

"7. My hiring strategy isn't reaching new people."

Solution

Freshen up your sourcing tactics.

If it feels like you keep turning up the same pool of candidates, it may be time to embrace more innovative recruiting processes. The best candidates expect to be surprised, delighted, and inspired by a job opportunity—and that means you’ll need to get their attention in new ways.

Illustration of two recruiters sitting across from each other and having a conversation

Embrace video

Create authentic video messages that’ll immediately give candidates an insider’s look into life at your company.

Use social media

Big companies like McDonald’s, Goldman Sachs, and Amazon have all embraced social media for recruitment, posting open jobs on sites like Snapchat, Spotify, and even the dating site Tinder.

Create a Career Page

Prospective employees will want to follow your company if you’ve got a great cover photo, employee-created content, company videos, and a compelling message.

Video ads have shown to hold attention 3x longer than static Sponsored Updates.

Source: LinkedIn Talent Blog, 2018.

InMail response rate following sponsored video ads versus static ones.

Source: LinkedIn, 2018.

Doesn't sound right? Could it be that your hiring budget needs are sporadic?

"8. Onboarding new hires sometimes takes a back seat."

Solution

Dedicate time to employees from day one.

An employee’s first experiences on the job can lay the foundation for long-term success. Commit to a systematic approach to onboarding and get senior leadership on board. Your investment could soon pay off with improved employee happiness—and retention rates.

Illustration of a hiring manager and new employee walking through a glass doorway.

Map out the first 45 days

Successful onboarding requires planning for everything that should happen before, during, and after a new hire’s first day. These checklists break up the process into manageable steps.

Give a first, meaningful assignment

New employees are ready to work, so give them an assignment with achievable, but challenging, goals on the first day.

Assign a buddy and set regular check-ins

Match a seasoned employee with your new hire to help build personal connections, which can lead to a longer tenure. Also, set recurring check-ins to encourage a growth mindset.

Employees who go through a structured onboarding program are 69% more likely to stay for three or more years.

Source: BambooHR.com, 2018.

of organizations that use a buddy program during onboarding say it speeds up new hire proficiency.

Source: Sapling, 2019.

Doesn't sound right? Could it be that people don't know who you are?

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