In a ‘candidate short, job- rich’ market where competition is fierce there is no doubt that businesses are having to work much harder to attract the talent they need.
So, what can you do to attract the very best candidates and gain a competitive edge?
Review your offering
Over the last 12 months demand for staff has increased significantly driving up salaries. In addition, the pandemic has highlighted to candidates the importance of the benefits their company has—or doesn’t have. Candidates are approaching their job search with more structured ideas and demands about the kind of benefits they need to ensure their wellbeing and financial security.
With this in mind, employers need to review what they’re offering to ensure the salary and benefits offered are competitive.
Considerations might include:
- Salary benchmarking – how does your offering compare to the local averages and what are your competitors offering?
- Increased paid time off (mental health days, sick days, and holiday days)
- Health, dental and vision insurance
- Providing learning and development opportunities with tuition or training reimbursement
- Childcare benefits
- Gym memberships or discounts
- Health & Wellness programmes
- Employee recognition programs
- Relocation, commuting/travel assistance
- Enhanced pension contributions or retirement benefits
- Short, long term disability insurance
- Workplace perks such as team building incentives, food and coffee, and flexible work schedule including remote working long after the pandemic is over to encourage and maintain work life balance
Promote your employer brand
It’s not just candidates who need to sell themselves at interview. It’s essential that hirers sell their employer brand and provide a great candidate experience throughout the recruitment process from advertisement through to interview, offer and onboarding.
Candidates will have extensively researched your organisation, its values, its reviews by both previous employees and customers and its corporate and social responsibility activities well before they even consider applying for a position.
Your online presence (website, social media platforms and review sites) must be up to date, informative, appealing, values-driven and dynamic if they are to compel a potential candidate to apply for a vacancy.
Every stage of and touch point in the recruitment process is an opportunity to reinforce a candidate’s view that you are a great employer.
Move quickly and decisively
Candidates searching in a job-rich market are likely to be interviewing with multiple employers. This means that hiring managers need to be communicative, respond quickly to applications, shortlist promptly, update candidates regularly and keep the window of time between interview and offer to a minimum.
The longer the process takes the greater the risk of losing candidates. Any delays can disengage candidates and give your competitors the opportunity to snap up the talent you so desperately need.
That said, the need for speed shouldn’t compromise the integrity of the recruitment process. The process should continue to be structured, robust and dynamic enabling hiring managers to act fast when the right candidate comes along.
How can JS Recruitment help you find top talent?
Here at JS Recruitment you will be partnered with a dedicated Account Manager who will meet with you to construct a super-accurate profile of the skills and experience you need and to match these to suitable candidates. We also proactively build candidate pools specific to your organisation throughout the year to secure elite candidates for your company.
Finding the candidates is only stage one. We then carry out extensive online research and telephone and video interviews to create a powerful shortlist of candidates who we know are both capable and keen to meet with their potential new employer. We will not waste your valuable time by putting forward candidates who are not already well versed in your company’s aims and objectives as part of recruiting for the vacancy.
Candidate attraction is now more complex and time consuming than ever and we are here to help you every step of the way. If you would like book a Candidate Attraction meeting please contact us on 01977269069 or email info@jsrecruitmentuk.com
