January has been an interesting month and whilst you as a business may be heading full force into your 2021 recruitment strategy, candidates aren’t necessarily feeling the same way.
From our own experience and that of our clients, the volume of applications at the moment is low despite it being one of the typically busiest months of the year. With applications for jobs reportedly 34% lower than last year, this appears to be a universal issue, likely influenced by the current lockdown measures.
So if you are here because your job ad hasn’t received as much attention as you would like or you seem to be losing out on good talent at the offer stage, this is possibly why. But what can you do to improve this?
Address candidate concerns
Prospective job seekers are currently in two unique positions.
On one hand, they may be currently unemployed and looking for their next role. On the other they may be feeling dissatisfied in their current company, but despite their differences they are both bound in their search for a role which offers stability.
At all stages of the recruitment process we advise you are transparent and communicative.
For instance, when writing ads you may want to address why you are hiring for the role; is there a period of growth and expansion happening, have you acquired some new clients?
Then this should be followed through to the interview stage where you can discuss how you performed and adapted to get through 2020, try to not focus too much on revenue here, but instead address the wins and challenges your business faced, this way candidates are able to connect with the business at a human level, mitigating their hesitations about security and stability.
Don’t be too slow
One of the key challenges clients are facing is that the market is not as full of talent as they expected. And because they anticipated it to be busier and thought they would have options, they have been taking longer in the recruitment process.
Whilst we recognise many businesses are looking for candidates who have exactly the right skills and experience, this is having a detrimental impact in the recruitment process.
In order to ensure applicants are invested in your business, leading to you being at the top of the pile at offer stage, it is becoming increasingly important to not sit and wait. Doing so can lead to good quality candidates loosing interest in the role or as has been the case recently having multiple more competitive offers on the table.
Be very clear at offer stage
Returning to the issue of stability, in order to have offers accepted it is important businesses are very clear about the following elements:
Plans for growth over the next 12 months.
Their expectations surrounding the role and what the successful applicant needs to do to perform.
Long-term plans with regards to remote working.
Long-term plans surrounding any reductions in salary.
Addressing these elements (along with ensuring strong transparency at interview stages) ensures that the successful applicant is able to make a decision with the full picture in mind, helping to alleviate any concerns or what if scenarios which may come into their mind, and fingers crossed leading to an offer acceptance.
We know that now is a difficult time for businesses looking to hire, to help answer some of the questions you may have many of the topics addressed in this blog can be found in our latest episode of ‘Pitch talks recruitment’. Alternatively you are more than welcome to reach out to a member of our team who would be happy to guide you with insight into todays candidate market.
