Recruiting can be difficult even in the best circumstances, and it's even more difficult in a candidate shortage. If you've recently tried to fill a position at your company, you may have noticed that candidates are difficult to come by these days, which is why we are providing you with some of the best tips to help you attract the best talent in a candidate short market!
Businesses across all industries are preparing for a busy 2023, and having the right people is a big part of the plan. As a result, our job market is experiencing higher vacancies but less applications, indicating that finding the right talent can be tough.
The great news is that there are multiple approaches that you can use to stand out in a candidate-short market. Here are seven of our pointers to help you find your next employee during the shortage.
Things to consider.
Build your brand - Candidates today want to work for a company whose brand coincides with their values, so be clear on your message and communicate it effectively. Use social media to position your company as an industry leader and to highlight the advantages of working for you. For example, flexible working is extremely important today, so don't just include a throwaway line in your job ad; instead, discuss what you're doing. Candidates will look at your company pages in the same way that most employers do social media research on potential candidates, so make sure they give a strong indication of what you're all about.
Other factors to think about are having a presence or even a sponsorship at leading industry events - the most engaged talent will be at these, so it pays to put your brand front and centre.
Sell your benefits - Many job ads simply end up being a long list of what an employer wants, and while this is important to outline, it should also be a sales pitch to potential hires. Consider what will really attract top talent to your organisation, whether that's your flexibility, culture, or maybe the perks you provide. You're missing out if you wait until the interview to share these points. You could even ask your employees what they enjoy most about working for the business and then incorporate these advantages into your pitch.
Online presence - For the past 18 months, we've pretty much lived our lives online. So, what could a candidate discover if they conducted research on your company through social media? It's critical to have an online presence.
Your employer brand can make or break whether someone wants to work with you. So, it's important that you do everything you can to build a solid reputation, communicate your values and culture, and promote your company to be the desirable place to work.
You can also speak with recruiters who are specialists in your industry. Here at Talented Recruitment Group, we spend time understanding our candidate's motivations and goals from the very start, to share these insights with our clients in order to help them reach the right people for the organisation and their team.
Be time conscious - In a candidate short market, candidates have the advantage of having multiple roles to choose from. So, if you're taking too much time to provide interview feedback or even make an offer, your competitors may be stepping in and snatching up the best talent while you're stalling.
So, to put it simply, don't let this happen. When re-evaluating your hiring process, acknowledge the timeline of your process.
Work with a recruiter - We have a large number of candidates in our database. While not all of them will be suitable for your company, they are a good starting point. They could know someone who is suitable and be able to recommend them, or they may consider taking on the role themselves. At TRG, we also offer our very own referral scheme, which means we will always have candidates looking to make a referral!
We spend days talking and networking, so why not utilise that resource instead of purely posting a job and hoping for the best?
Benchmark salaries - Knowing the market rate for jobs in your sector and region is essential for attracting talent, especially with salaries continuously changing.
While professionals' priorities have started shifting as a result of the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, salary remains an important consideration. Reed.co.uk conducted a study last year and had found that 39% of professionals rated salary as their number on priority when looking for a new role, while over half had suggested that their current employer raising their salary would make them less inclined to leave.
Engage with your candidates - The current market has seen a significant increase in organisations issuing counteroffers to retain employees. These can range from significant salary increases to job title changes or increased responsibility.
To avoid this risk, you need to make sure that your candidate is engaged with you from the moment they enter the recruitment process, up until the job offer. It's never been more important to try and sell your business, which is why you need to keep the experience positive - whether that's replying to their application promptly, keeping in touch before and after their interviews, and giving them feedback.
Finding talent in a candidate shortage is a challenging task. You want your employees to be able to thrive in their roles, add value to your organisation, whilst fitting in with the culture.
Our team at Talented Recruitment Group are dedicated to getting to know both candidates and clients personally. Providing us with the ability to form long-term, sustainable partnerships with both individuals and businesses, allowing you to find the best fit for your current needs, regardless of the situation.
We hope these tips can help you during the candidate shortage - let us know your thoughts!