The labour market is tight and likely to get tighter. Dan Schawbel *has some advice for the organisations who want to show picky job candidates they are the employer of choice.
As the Great Resignation continues to affect organisations across the board, HR leaders face the daunting task of filling an ever-growing number of vacant roles.
Transforming your employee experience is critical if your business wants to attract and retain top talent.
Today’s workers expect their employer to support their holistic wellbeing; they want to work for an organisation that aligns itself with broader societal and environmental goals.
What if your organisation is getting all of these things right, yet you’re still struggling to hire workers?
It might be time to take a closer look at your recruitment practices, especially in today’s employee-driven job market.
The good news is that some simple tweaks can go a long way toward attracting the right talent for your business and your culture.
Here are the five best practices that can bolster your recruitment efforts.
Showcase the benefits that people want the most.
Understanding what job applicants are looking for can be critical when refining recruitment initiatives.
Organisations should showcase flexible and remote work options in their job descriptions, as these arrangements are highly desired among today’s employees.
In fact, 77 per cent of people say they want to work remotely at least part of the time after the pandemic.
Other offerings that are important for workers include family-friendly benefits (like childcare support and parental leave), learning and development benefits, and health and wellness perks.
Focus on selling your employee experience.
The employee experience includes all aspects of an individual’s journey with an employer, and it’s a critical piece of the puzzle when it comes to attracting talent.
Nearly four out of 10 HR leaders say that improving the employee experience is a top priority for them because they want to boost recruitment.
However, just 31 per cent noted that their marketing teams were involved to showcase a positive employee experience for recruitment.
So the question is: Why bother to improve your employee experience if you aren’t communicating about it effectively?
Here are two key questions to consider.
What would your current employees say is the best part of their work experience?
Job candidates trust employees three times more than employers to provide information on what it’s like to work at an organisation.
What aspects of your employee experience are unique to your organisation?
It’s hard to stand out in today’s crowded job market, but focusing on what’s special about your organisation is a great place to start.
Be sure to highlight where your organisation rises above the crowd.
Get your employees involved.
The most valuable recruiting tool for HR leaders is employee referrals.
In fact, referred candidates are four times more likely to be hired, and 45 per cent stay with an employer for longer than four years.
Reach job candidates where they’re searching.
Although employee referrals are the top recruiting tool, employee review sites and social media can also play a significant role, especially for younger applicants.
Some 68 per cent of Millennials (versus 48 per cent of Boomers) say they visit an employer’s social media properties specifically to evaluate the employer’s brand.
You’ll want to keep these various properties in mind, especially since about 70 per cent of the global workforce are passive job candidates.
These are people who aren’t actively looking for work, but are open to new jobs.
These individuals are almost certainly scanning LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook for interesting opportunities, so it’s a good idea to keep your job-related content flowing on these platforms.
Re-evaluate your requirements.
Some employers are dropping their degree requirements in a move to widen their talent pool and diversify their workforce.
Of course, it won’t be possible for all jobs to eliminate these requirements.
However if you can make this leap, then you’ll want to focus instead on the specific skills and character traits needed for the role you’re hiring for.
You may also want to consider requiring fewer years of experience, or you could offer on-the-job training to the right candidate to fill in any gaps in their skillset.
*Dan Schawbel is a bestselling author and Managing Partner of Workplace Intelligence, a research and advisory firm helping HR adapt to trends, drive performance and prepare for the future.
This article is part of his Workplace Intelligence Weekly series.
