Today's recruiters and human resources departments are utilizing the latest communications tools to help them find the best talent.

Gone are the days when submitting an application or resume and meeting for an in-person interview was the only way to apply for a job and for top recruiters to discover the best candidate for the position.

Modern Way to Hire

If you are looking for the right candidate for an open position, you must search where the best applicants are.

The first place to go is LinkedIn.

Top companies establish a strong presence on this site to attract both customers and top employees.

Companies that focus on LinkedIn will find applicants that desire to connect with them. Recruiters can learn about the candidates and see their profiles. When they find someone who would make a good candidate, they can reach out to the person.

Many businesses use other social networks to recruit applicants.

They can post job openings on Twitter or Facebook and even promote other activities or events of the company so people can learn more about it.

Not only does this help attract more applicants, it helps ensure that the people who apply will fit in with the company culture.

Finding the Right Person

More businesses are using recruiting sites to find employees.

Instead of posting a job and waiting for job hunters to come to them, they can search through profiles and take the first step to interest the person in their job opening.

Once initial contact is made, recruiters can use innovative technology to continue the hiring process.

Many organizations use phone or video interviews at least for the first communication. HR personnel may meet with the applicant online and ask questions.

Once the person passes the first round of interviews, the second round may be in person or they may continue to use online technology to interview with department managers.

The growth of cloud services and other technology that allows businesses to hire people to work remotely has also increased the opportunities to find non-local job candidates. The use of newer communications technology allows you to continue the recruiting process even if the person lives in another state or country.

As the article "5 Steps to Identify Your Business Communication Needs" discusses, you must be able to recognize where you are lacking in technology and what your goals are for hiring the best talent.

Once you know your budget, you can begin to organize your recruiting methods to take advantage of the latest technology to find the right employees.

No one method is right for all businesses.

It is important to know which options work best for your organization and the most effective way to find the best applicants for your industry.

The old ways are not as effective as they once were and the applicants you find through those methods may not have the skills and comfort with technology as the job hunters using more innovative approaches.

Companies must be willing to try new opportunities as part of their recruiting process to find the right people.

Photo credit: Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

About the Author: Joyce Morse is an author who writes on a variety of topics, including human resources and social media.