Are you doing these 3 crucial things to land candidates?

Posted by HRGO Recruitment on 20 Mar 2019

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Is your business struggling to find enough talented new employees it needs to thrive? Some 78% of hiring managers answered ‘yes’ to this question in a recent survey. If you're one of them you need our tips for landing great candidates.

It seems that uncertainty around Brexit has made skills shortages worse. Almost 40% of respondents report that the UK’s decision to leave the EU has directly affected their ability to find talent.

There are less EU citizens entering the UK for work, shrinking the talent pool further. And many people don’t want to switch jobs at the moment because they’re not sure what will be happening in the months to come.

In a candidate-driven market, jobseekers can pick and choose from roles they want. That may be positive news for anyone looking for work. But it puts added pressure on your business when it comes to landing great candidates.

There are lots of positive actions you can take to create a fantastic employer brand people want to work for. This is particularly true as tech-savvy Generation Z are now entering the workplace. If you’re not already, think about:

• Sharing your company culture on social media. Give candidates a real glimpse into what it’s like to work for you.
• Showing that you value professional development as well as personal development. And encourage employee testimonials.
• Embracing authenticity. This includes asking for (and acting on) feedback from employees and customers, particularly on review sites.

But when it comes to the actual mechanics of recruitment, what does your business need to do? You want to make it to the front of the pack for the good talent that is available.

The answer is to keep your focus on the candidate, aiming to move quickly, clearly and intentionally. Here are three tips for landing great candidates:

1. Write clear job adverts

If there’s anything confusing in your job advert think about how a candidate will view it. Maybe its vague about hours or responsibilities because you haven't thought it through yet. Unfortunately you can't bank on anyone asking you to clarify the details at interview. The brutal fact is, they’ll probably scroll past your advert altogether.

If they do make it to an interview, you risk frustrating or even losing them if the role turned out to be not what they were expecting. In a competitive market, your business can’t afford to lose candidates at a late stage.

At HR GO, we work closely with clients we recruit for to ensure that every job listing contains the necessary information for that role. We know how important it is in helping you snap up the best talent before your rivals have the chance.

2. Shout about salary and benefits

There’s a debate about whether or not to include the salary in a job advert. But there’s now every reason to use salary as a selling point for the role. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), many employers are responding to the skills shortages by boosting wages for certain jobs.

Obviously, candidates do turn down job offers if they don’t feel the salary is high enough. And if you reach the stage where a chosen candidate gives this as a reason not to work for you means a lot of wasted time and resources. So it pays to be upfront in the job advert.

If you’re unsure of the going market rate for the role you’re filling the HR GO Salary Guide can put you in the picture. This will also give you the essential information about whether your rivals are offering more.

Benefits are even more important than ever, too, so think about extra workplace perks you can offer - particularly if you can’t offer a high salary.

More and more candidates value flexibility. So perhaps allow some portion of remote homeworking if appropriate for your business. Or how about extra holiday entitlement, or a subsidised gym membership? Make sure you spell these sweeteners out in the job advert and flag them up at interview.

3. Move fast on job offers

It used to be the case that there was no real urgency to snap up a good candidate straight after interview. But these days, you don’t have the luxury of time.

If you feel you’ve found a great candidate, move quickly to get them on your team. There are no guarantees that they won’t have been looking elsewhere, too.

Of course, the recruitment process can vary depending on the type of job you’re recruiting for, and the industry your business is in. But the best practice is now to offer them a job within 24 hours (or 48 at a stretch) of interview.

Having to wait too long for a post-interview decision is one of the most frustrating things for job seekers. At HR GO, we work hard to fill vacancies with the best candidates available so find it disheartening if clients ever miss out on great members of the team because they’ve hung about.

It’s all about the candidate

Recruiting faster and smarter - particularly given current economic uncertainty and skills shortages - boils down to one factor: the candidate.

Keep your focus on that potential employee, making the recruitment experience as smooth and easy for them as possible.

After all, given the choice, would you rather work for a company that made it clear they wanted you, or an employer who didn’t seem to care either way? 

Need more info on making your recruitment process quicker, leaner and more effective? Do get in touch to find out more.