Ever feel like hiring is the bane of your existence? It’s frustrating when you see all of these other companies bring in top candidates and you are struggling to get any applicants. What’s the problem? Your hiring strategy might need a little work. A great hiring strategy can make a huge difference for your business. If you are struggling to create and implement an effective hiring strategy, check out these 5 hiring strategies.

Nowadays, thanks to technology and the changing work space, you aren’t limited to only sourcing local candidates. That’s not to say there aren’t top employees locally, but if you are having trouble finding the right talent, change things up and expand your search. Make your workspace and application process remote-worker friendly where possible. Establish processes and systems that will invite top remote workers to apply for your open positions.

Top employees have a network full of top talent, why not take advantage? It’s important to establish an employee referral program that encourages employees to invite their network to work for your company. When your employees are telling their trusted colleagues to apply, it makes your job a lot easier. This hiring strategy helps to create and maintain a strong culture.

Targeting passive candidates should be an important part of your hiring strategy. Passive candidates are those professionals that aren’t necessarily on the market actively looking for a new job. Although they aren’t looking for jobs, they are typically some of the best talent out there. As part of your hiring strategy, seek out those candidates. It’s a challenging task, but if you want the best talent, passive candidates are the way to go.

Want to find highly-specialized candidates? You need to go where those candidates are. Whether you are looking for talented web developer or an experienced controller, you need to find the circles where they frequent. Focus on being active on those niche job boards and speak the language those candidates are speaking. This hiring strategy will go a long way in your search for specialized candidates.

One of the best strategies you can implement when hiring is to use the hiring experts: a recruiting firm. Who better to find the best candidates than professionals that dedicate 100% of their time to hiring? The great thing about using a top recruiting firm is that they spend the necessary time understanding your business and your culture. A recruiting firm combines all the previous strategies into one.