So how can you position your company to be as competitive as possible in this every-changing landscape? Here is our checklist of the main issues we are seeing when recruiters are struggling to hire:
Tedious hiring process
Probably the main stage (of the recruitment lifecycle) where client’s lose great candidates. Majority of the population find interviews very uncomfortable and is often an anxious experience for them meaning; if you as a client, can create an engaging and streamlined interview process, you’ll gain significant buy-in from the candidate thus potentially enabling the candidate’s skills, experience & personality to shine through at interview stages. Striking a balance between a rigorous & efficient process is bound to be a huge challenge so don’t be afraid to tailor the process (get feedback from the candidates on what they liked/what they didn’t like). One thing clients tend to forget – Interviews are ALWAYS a two-way street. The candidate is also interviewing you as a business.
Unrealistic expectations on the skills & experience
For years clients have always leaned towards finding a carbon copy of the individual (currently in the post/vacating the post) which has led them to miss out on potentially great successors for the role. Focusing on the fundamentals of the role will enable you to nail down the prerequisite skills required to successfully conduct the role; meaning any candidates who offer more than those mandatory skills are viewed as exceptional candidates. Often having some flexibility on skills/experience will enable you to tap into a potentially new talent pool.
Lack of a competitive salary
We’re currently immersed in a heavy candidate driven market where a number of clients are offering increasingly more competitive salaries in order to secure the talent they want. Depending on your company size offering a higher salary may not be a viable option so our recommendation would be to leverage the company goals, career progression & any stand-out benefits that may appeal to the incumbent of the role. Understanding what’s key to the candidate will enable you to tailor any potential offers.
Flexibility on location
One of the few benefits to come from the COVID pandemic has been a shift in culture from business where they now understand professionals don’t need to be in the office 100% of the time in order for them to successfully conduct their roles. People have become accustomed to having a better work/life balance, flexibility to decide where they work & save money on rising transports costs. Having a role which is 100% office base will significantly lower your talent thus restricting your ability to secure the best candidate in the market.
Bad Reputation
Now more than ever, your company’s reputation will play a vital part in the decision-making process of the incumbent of your role. With more and more companies hiring for a similar skillset, candidates are inundated with plenty of similar opportunities meaning they’ll do their research on your company. Majority of us will read a negative review on LinkedIn, Glassdoor & Google and understand that was most likely written by a disgruntled employee however, if there are numerous negative reviews then that will create a negative perception of your company’s culture thus swaying the candidate to another client.
Time
With the volumes of newly released roles & demand for skills increasing day by day, a number of internal recruitment teams who are managing anywhere between 20-30 vacancies aren’t fully equipped to manage the overwhelming workload placed upon them; thus, meaning a number of great candidates aren’t approached/qualified. Therefore, having a skilled, reputable & highly experienced recruitment partner will enable you to save time, drive results efficiently.
