How To…Attract the best talent: Our top 5 tips for an effective recruitment process
We know that recruitment can be a tricky business. The UK employment market is constantly evolving and in recent years recruiters have faced a particularly unique set of challenges. From the changing dynamics of remote work to the scarcity of skilled talent, businesses are constantly needing to find innovative new ways to stay ahead of the recruitment game. We’ve put together our 5 top tips for effective recruitment to help you find the right people for your business.
1. The power of social media
Love it or hate it, social media is a powerful tool for recruitment. As a hiring manager, you can use platforms like LinkedIn or Twitter to connect with potential candidates and share job openings with a wider audience. Recruitment is all about building relationships, so use your social media platforms to create a community for your industry. This could include sharing online resources, hosting virtual networking events or simply engaging with other people’s posts. Make sure that what you post online accurately reflects your businesses values and culture as candidates are sure to research your company before deciding whether or not to make an application. If social media really isn’t your thing, then our advice is to find someone within your organisation that does enjoy it, or outsource it to an agency. Having someone that knows what they’re doing, enjoys it and can do a professional job will make all the difference to your content!
2. Build an Employer Brand
One of the biggest challenges recruiters face today is the scarcity of skilled talent in key industries such as technology, healthcare and engineering. With the demand for these professionals far surpassing the supply, businesses must adopt innovative strategies to attract and retain top talent. Creating a powerful employer brand is essential to attracting those high-calibre candidates. Are you an attractive company that your potential next candidates have heard of and consider a good place to work? A strong employer brand will do this for you. Utilising professional networks like LinkedIn can be a great way to engage with candidates that may not actively be looking for work, but possess the skill set that you need. By showcasing your company culture and offering them an exciting opportunity that aligns with their career goals, you might just be able to challenge their current work situation. It can be as simple as a post on your latest team build, any charity work, a work anniversary that you’re all celebrating, employee benefits, training events. Shout about your wins and get your great positive posts out there for the world to see!
3. Embrace remote working
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the options for remote working and in today’s recruiting environment it is vital that business’ face into this and adapt. Hiring remote employees requires a different approach, from sourcing candidates to assessing their ability for virtual work environments. Video calling and remote assessments are becoming a key part of most recruitment processes, allowing businesses to more accurately assess an individual’s communication skills, self-motivation and ability to collaborate remotely. It’s very popular for businesses to adapt this approach for team members that will be office based too, with face-to-face interviews only taking place with those that make the final stage of the process.
4. Streamline your recruitment strategies
Providing a positive candidate experience is crucial for attracting and retaining talent. A poor candidate experience can harm your employer brand and lead to missed opportunities. One of the biggest frustrations for candidates during the recruitment process is a lack of communication. Please don’t leave them waiting and wondering… if you do they’re likely to move on. Be transparent and communicative through the whole process, from setting clear expectations about the timeline and next steps to offering feedback and updates along the way. Take a look at your application process and simplify it as much as possible to minimise the number of steps and eliminate any unnecessary hurdles, making it user friendly and easy to navigate.
5. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box
When it comes to recruitment, it’s easy to fall into a rut and follow the same old playbook. But, if you want to find the best candidates sometimes you need to look at things a little differently. This might mean considering candidates with non-traditional backgrounds, looking for talent in unexpected places, amending your working hours, or flipping the whole recruitment process on its head. Employers are frequently turning to ‘recruitment challenges’ as a selection method rather than the traditional interview format. This gives candidates an opportunity to showcase their skills in a real-world context and can be a really effective way of finding the best candidate. You might be surprised how much one small change in your whole process could open up a whole new pool of previously untapped talent.
By adopting the right strategies, these obstacles can be overcome. Stay adaptable, embrace innovation and keep your finger on the pulse of the evolving market to attract top talent and build successful teams. Remember, we are here to support you in finding the right talent and navigating these challenges. Contact us to find out more.