Durham County highlights recruitment tactics and sign-on incentives to fill hard-to-staff jobs

Kathy Everett Perry, Durham County’s chief employment officer, told the county communications program that the county’s human-resources operation includes nine divisions and two assistant directors who oversee functions from benefits to workers’ compensation.

"So, we have 9 divisions," Perry said, outlining benefits, classification and compensation, recruitment, EEO/compliance, employee relations, workers’ compensation and safety, general operations and training. She emphasized tailoring recruitment to the industry when roles are specialized—for example, posting legal positions to lawyer groups.

Perry described targeted marketing for hard-to-fill positions, sign-on bonuses and employee-referral incentives that reward current staff when a recommended candidate is hired. She said recruiters also use labor-market data and time-to-fill measures to shape strategy and that some roles require different outreach tactics depending on qualifications and professional networks.

Perry framed recruitment as both a data-driven process and an art: "It is a science because we need to have the data... and it is an art because there is a difference between how you want to recruit someone who may be applying for a paramedic position versus an attorney position."