Once you know how to recruit from your competitors, there will be no such thing as a shortage of women in STEM. “Competitor recruiting”, as John Sullivan, an internationally known HR thought-leader and a Professor of Management at San Francisco State University, calls it, is a powerful solution to your talent shortages. In a recent article published on the ere.net website he shares some useful tips on the topic.
Identification of top technical talent
Finding the top talents is relatively easy because everyone knows who they are: after all, it is hard to conceal your leading performers and innovators. Nonetheless, here are some ways to identify the best prospects.
Referrals – people can always be relied upon to notice top talents. Ask your employees who the best female technical talents are that they know. You may motivate them to respond by offering a monetary reward.
Boomerangs – ask managers to name top female performers who used to work for you. Within a few minutes you can find them again on LinkedIn.
Revisits – check the names of women who were almost hired but in the end did not get the job. Maybe now they could be given a job offer…
Professional events – top experts attend industry events. You can try to approach them at such an event.
New hires – ask them to identify possible candidates that are working for their previous employer. You can ask even during interviews; let them show you their connections.
Patent searches – many of the best people in the technical world apply for patents. Take advantage of this.
Colleges – target college alumni groups and graduate assistants of the best professors. Ask even at lesser-known technical colleges.
Encourage STEM women to contact you on their own
Contests, competitions and awards may gain the attention of top experts. You can approach and recruit users of your products. And, last but not least, offering remote work options means that you literally approach the entire world. Especially if you are a strong brand, these tips can work very well.
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