READ TIME – 7 MINUTES
If you’re finding it more difficult than usual to attract and retain great candidates, then you’re certainly not alone.
With a record-breaking number of vacancies currently being advertised – the highest it’s been since 2001– combined with the current cost-of-living crisis, it’s no surprise that we’re currently seeing disruption in the recruitment industry.
But don’t panic just yet.
There are steps that your organisation can implement throughout your recruitment process, and wider business as a whole, to ensure you’re attracting and retaining the right candidates. Not to mention- you’re in the right hands with us.
Having placed 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘀 of candidates for businesses globally, we know what we’re talking about when it comes to recruitment.
If you’re one of the lucky few who hasn’t been affected by ‘𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦’ or the current recruiting climate, first of all, we hope this remains the case for your business! But as we all know from the uncertainty of recruiting, anything can happen. Stick around and these tips might just save you in the long run.
Now let’s delve into our top 6 best ways for attracting candidates.
1) Streamline Your Recruitment Process
You’ve spent a great deal of time and effort sifting through candidates, in an attempt to take on someone perfect for the role. You’ve ensured they will integrate smoothly into the company culture. You’ve whittled it down to your favourite candidate and when you offer the role to them… they’re already accepted a position with a company that got back to them sooner-𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨!
So, now you’re back to square one and needing to avoid that from happening again.
This brings us to step one of how to attract and retain the best candidates… Establishing a recruitment process which is sleek and simplified whilst guaranteeing you have screened all candidates sufficiently. This will save your team time, effort and money.
A tip from our own knowledgable recruitment team- communication is key. Tell the candidate as much information about the role and recruitment process as possible. This stops doubts arising in the candidates minds, as well as leaving them feeling confident about the role.
And finally, aim to reply to all candidates as soon as possible. With so many recruiters fighting for top talent, you need to ensure that you’re at the front of the queue!
2) Don't Hide Your Benefits
With more vacancies than ever, candidates have more power than ever regarding the benefits that come with a role. Meaning they have more businesses and work cultures to compare you to.
We’re currently in a ‘New Worker Revolution’ where candidates and employees priorities are shifting, a lot of which can be thanks to the pandemic.
That being said, showcase your unique selling points and differentiate yourself from the other roles whose benefits include 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥. Candidates now are looking for benefits that are more than just the ‘dress down Friday’ etc…
They’re looking for companies that offer alternative benefits. This may include progression, development and mental wellbeing check-ins.
Job benefits can be anything that can be seen as a bonus to the role. If you’re struggling to think of the benefits you have to offer, think about what your company does differently from others.
This tip comes hand in hand with…
3) Assessing Candidates Expectations
With the ever-changing world we live in, it’s important to regularly assess candidate expectations.
Many employees got used to – 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 – working remotely, whether this was full-time or Flexi. To stay up to date with expectations, ensure you have everything set in place to offer successful remote working. Being able to provide to such expectations will set you aside as a flexible and culturally aware company.
Not doing so may limit your candidate pool or put potential hires off joining your company.
Whilst you’re dedicating time to consider what a candidate may expect from you, let’s not forget how important it is that you define your expectations as an employer. Decide what skills you specifically need from your next hire because a happy employer makes for a happy team.
Achieving both will set you up on the right path if you want to attract and retain great candidates.
4) The Customer Journey
If you want to attract and retain great candidates, you have to navigate a two-way street.
As much as you need to like the individual, the recruitment process needs to be enjoyable, as it’s where the first impression of your organisation is created.
This is your time to showcase what you can offer potential candidates; provide examples of what your team culture looks like and paint a picture for the candidate so they can imagine what it would look like to be part of the team, allowing them to get excited about the prospect of it.
Something we do as part of our own recruitment process, to guarantee a streamlined customer journey, is communicate with the candidate as much as possible. Whether this be via email or phone call, to offer an insight of what it’s like to work with us.
5) 'Mind The Gap'
When attracting candidates, there is often a step in the recruitment process where a company’s attention on the candidate can drop… typically the gap between a candidates notice period and joining a new company.
This is a critical time where attention is needed to retain the candidate, to do everything in your control to not lose them to an alternative offer.
Demonstrating continual interest and communicating with your future hire that you’re excited to have them on board is essential; you need to make the individual feel special and look forward to this new opportunity.
This is also a great time to showcase some of your companies benefits, to remind the candidate of why they chose you over any other offer.
Our favourite method to guarantee we ‘𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘱’ is checking up with the candidate and asking if there is anything we can provide before they get started. We also like to share what we have recently been up to as a team, to offer an insight into the culture they will be getting involved with.
6) Retaining Candidates
Last but certainly not least is ensuring you’re creating a supportive and positive work environment that aims to retain your existing candidates.
With over 979,000 job-to-job moves between July and September, candidates are questioning what they really want from an employee and are simply choosing the leave their jobs if their needs aren’t met.
It is crucial that leaders within your organisation are taking the time to check in with their colleagues. Being emphatic and asking where additional support is needed makes for what we like to call a Proactive Leader.
The work-life balance is now more important than ever. Scheduling virtual or in-person coffee meet-ups, where work responsibilities are left at the door, are a great way of boosting your companies culture and making sure your employees have time to recharge before returning back to their role.
Attracting Candidates With AvA-V
We understand that attracting candidates during this time can be overwhelming. Incorporating our 6 steps into your recruitment process will set you on the right path to attracting and retaining candidates.
𝗜𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁? 𝙒𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥!
With decades of experience and knowing how to navigate through recruitment adversities, our recruitment team are here to help you successfully navigate through ‘The Great Candidate Shortage’ and connect you with your ideal candidates.
From streamlining your recruitment process, providing you with insights on the current recruitment market, to assisting you to successfully source your next hire… We’re confident that we can find like-minded candidates who will help your organisation prosper and most importantly- 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶!
Visit our recruitment page HERE to find out more on how we can support your recruitment process.
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲? 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝟬𝟭𝟱𝟲𝟱 𝟳𝟱𝟴𝟬𝟬𝟬