HIRING IN A TALENT SHORT MARKET
In a job heavy market how do you attract and secure the talent you need?
What a topsy turvy 18 months we have all had. Early last year a lot of companies were furloughing staff, making redundancies and making huge cutbacks to survive the rollercoast ride that is Covid 19. It was a worrying time for all of us and so many people lost their jobs. There was an abundance of candidates on the market but no one was hiring. The prospect of finding a new role was daunting and I think many of us felt that the job market would be tough for years to come. In early 2021 things started to look up. New budgets were approved. The race was on to recruit the best talent and we now find ourselves in a position where the candidate talent pool has dwindled drastically and we have slipped into a talent short market across many sectors.
Attract that talent
So the tide has turned and the onus is now back on the employer to impress interested and available candidates and make sure that that what they have on offer is attractive to the job seeker and particularly to the passive candidate.
Flexible or hybrid/remote working
The new buzz words! This is one the of first questions we are asked by sales and marketing candidates at the moment. Is there flexible working? Flexible working arrangements seem to be the key right now. A high number of candidates we speak with are looking for flexibility. The opportunity to work from home if they want to. Not necessarily all the time as that can be detrimental to some as we know, but definitely a mix of home/office. Either way, if you want someone in the office every single day and offer no flexibility then you might struggle in the current marketplace. Of course there are some candidates who cannot or do not want to work from home, so this needs to be considered too. The pandemic has made people re-evaluate their lives and has definitely changed the way a lot of people want to work. With more and more companies rising to this challenge the more you may need to consider offering flexibility.
There is a huge plus side to this. It often means that you can cast your search net wider and consider candidates who live further afield, which in turn means more choice of candidates. Win-win!
Interview process
Don’t over complicate it! As tempting as it may be to make your candidate jump through hoop after hoop, it’s very easy for a candidate to disengage with you if you overdo it or have long gaps between interview stages. There are lots of opportunities out there where the interview process is fast moving and straightforward and you may risk losing your favoured candidate.
Your interview process needs to be as simple and fast moving as possible. If you interview a candidate you really like don't be tempted to wait for comparisons. Book that next stage interview quickly or make that offer! If you wait too long your "perfect candidate" may find the "perfect role" elsewhere before you get a chance.
No surprises
Be clear about what you are offering. Negotiable salary just does not cut it. You know what you have in the pot for your role so be as open as you can with your recruitment partner or candidate from the start.
Michelle Brown