Why is recruitment more challenging than ever?
Recruiters and hiring managers are currently experiencing some of the most challenging market conditions when trying to successfully hire the best people – but what is behind it and how can companies positively influence recruitment outcomes?
Is it just a lack of job seekers? This is definitely a factor, however, there is much more going on and it’s been developing for a while.
Psychological safety is a major contributing factor to today’s recruitment challenges. People are nervous about making a wrong move. A lack of certainty in the economy, cost of living challenges, divisive media and many more factors are influencing candidate confidence and encouraging risk averse behaviour. This means you need to bring your A-game when looking to recruit the right people for your business.
When candidates are choosing whether to join a business, the decision-making process is complex and multi-faceted. There are many influencing factors and the smallest of experiences or perceptions can spook your preferred candidate. It’s never been more important to have clear process, tools and lived values that will build trust and engagement with candidates. So, what do you need to know and what can you do to maximise your chance of successful hiring?
- The market is candidate led. People are being proactively approached about several roles at the same time, therefore roles need to stand out, if possible with a clear salary and purpose. Write an advert that makes sense, and brings the role to life in an engaging way.
- Many candidates are seeking flexibility. This could by hybrid, home working, condensed hours, or part time. Be as open as possible to a flexible approach.
- Employer brand and Employee Value Proposition are key. Have you got a good understanding of your culture and the experience it creates? Do you know how to bring your organisation and culture to life for candidates? How do you articulate and demonstrate what work life looks like in your business and if candidates do their research will their findings back you up? Make sure you have a clear and honest message, and that candidate experience will reflect this.
- DO sweat the small things! Is parking available, how friendly is the first person a candidate will meet, punctuality – and all the small details that may seem insignificant can indicate a lack of care and perception of your culture.
- Be specific but flexible with interview dates and times work with the candidate not against.
- Ensure the interview process is professional and quick ensuring the candidate gains an excellent experience showcasing what that business is like going forwards. Giving a candidate a positive experience may help with counter offers etc.
- Manage expectations and meet them (exceed them if you can!).
- Make sure your processes and systems mean you can move quickly – send offers and contracts out in a timely manner and make sure they are correct. Any errors or delays at this stage are very likely to lose your candidate.
- If engaging with a recruitment partner, use them exclusively and take the time to give a full brief and listen to their advice. Using multiple recruiters may seem like the best way to broaden your reach but it can unnerve candidates and create a messy disjointed process that has a negative effect on candidate confidence. A well managed process with a clear narrative and demonstrated a collaborative approach based on trust will be received well by candidates.
Ultimately, the key thing is for candidates to feel valued, safe, supported and enabled to be their best during the process. They need to have a clear understanding and experience of your culture and have their expectations met or exceeded, otherwise moving to your business may be perceived as a risk.