HireHive Team
HireHive
It's a job seeker's market. As the Great Resignation continues into 2022, many companies struggle to retain their current talent and hire replacement talent for open positions. But how do you find high-quality employees when the market is this competitive? Here are some tips for recruiting top talent into your organization.
HireHive Team
HireHive
Just like a resume is your first impression of a potential candidate, a job description is their first impression of your company. Some interesting statistics about job descriptions include:
Knowing these statistics can help you craft a better job description to attract more qualified people. Include the most critical information regarding experience and skills up front and be transparent about salary and benefits.
Many people focus on the open position's salary range without considering the costs of hiring. It's possible you have an HR department tracking that information, but it's helpful to fully understand all the costs that go into the hiring process.
The current numbers for the Society of Human Resources Management in the U.S. indicate that the average cost to hire a new employee is around $4700. However, other experts believe the cost is closer to three to four times the salary for that role. This is a significant number that should be considered when deciding how to source candidates and conduct interviews.
It can also be helpful to create a candidate profile for a person who will succeed in the role. The ideal candidate is an amalgam of CVs for people who succeed in similar positions. It also includes personality traits and soft skills to help them perform effectively.
Sort qualities by determining what is required for the position and things that would be nice to have. For example, you know that you need someone with experience in cloud development, but it would be nice if they also understood Linux. Once you know the ideal background for the best hire, you can compare resumes to that concept.
A word of caution: don't be so inflexible about your candidate profile that you're unwilling to see untapped talent in candidates with more transferable skills.
Not all candidate sources are created equal. There are several ways to find talent, including passive candidates and active job seekers. Some of the most used sources today include:
Social media is quickly overtaking job boards as the number one resource for recruitment. Job boards cost money, while social media is a free resource for candidates and recruiters. Also, in light of The Great Resignation and misalignment between active job seekers and open jobs, finding passive candidates may be a solution to staffing problems moving forward.
60% of applicants abandon job applications when they take too long. Creating multiple hoops in the initial application to weed out unqualified candidates is more likely to discourage qualified talent from completing the process.
It's critical to make your online application easier to use by applicants. A one-touch application that submits a completed CV will be the choice for most job seekers.
While the advice to leave descriptions of company culture out of the job posting is sound, that doesn't mean your culture isn't necessary. You still need to cultivate a culture in your organization that attracts top talent and encourages them to stay.
Start by establishing trust and communication between employees and management. Set clear expectations and goals for the organization and each role. Tie those goals in with the company's overall mission, values, and vision. Then always focus on employee engagement and provide recognition and rewards.
The candidate's experience is as essential as your company culture. You want your candidates to feel like they have a good experience from the moment they submit their resume until they receive either a job offer or a rejection.
Even after letting a candidate know they will not get the job, they should still have a positive impression of your company. Learn more about creating a positive candidate experience here.
Another important aspect of recruiting high-quality employees is regular communication. Employers are reporting many instances of being "ghosted" by candidates. This means candidates stop responding during the application and interview process. While this has become frustrating for employers, it was a practice that hiring managers engaged in for far longer when the tables were turned.
According to one report by Indeed, 77% of job seekers reported a lack of communication from a hiring company, including never hearing the results of their resume or interview experience. To maintain a positive experience throughout, it's critical to continue to communicate at all stages of the process.
Some roles will require additional pre-employment screening. Sometimes screening doesn't happen until an offer is on the table. Sometimes, you must also ensure that credentials match the requirements, like for medical professionals.
This process should be seamless for the candidates. Done well, it shouldn't create additional stress. It's always important to remain compliant with your country and local laws.
Many believe that reference checking is merely a formality, but it is also a great way to gain meaningful insight into candidates. The vast majority of companies, 92%, conduct reference checks before making an offer of employment.
While verifying dates of employment is part of the process, you can dive deeper into their background. Some questions to ask references include:
It's also important to understand that recruiting high-quality candidates will mean engaging in negotiation. The candidate is interviewing you as much as you are interviewing them, so you'll want to have frank and honest discussions about pay, benefits, and expectations.
You want to know your local laws regarding how to discuss salary. For example, in several U.S. states, asking about previous salary history is illegal. Be transparent and discuss numbers early in the process. Review the current market in your area to see what's competitive for salary ranges. Avoid pay discrimination by basing the decision on factors other than the job itself. And if you do have an offer rejected, always follow up with the candidate to learn why.
With more competition for top talent, it pays for companies to consider all their advantages and the use of tools to assist in the quest to find talent. HireHive helps busy people hire great people. You can post jobs, streamline your online application process, improve the candidate experience, and tap into vast global networks by having your entire recruitment process all in one place.
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