We all know that recruiting is hard right now. On top of being inundated with resumes daily, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find candidates who actually have what it takes to do their job well.
If you’re one of the employers looking for talent in this candidate-driven market, you’re not alone. But it doesn’t have to be a struggle. We’ve helped several companies in winning top talent—even in such a competitive market.
The reality of hiring workers in a candidate-driven market
Here are just a few of the hurdles employers are dealing with:
- Competition for workers is at an all-time high
- Candidates are feeling empowered, which is a good thing (more on that later)
- Candidates are uninterested in “the norm” and are seeking more from a prospective employer
So what are the biggest contributors to this problem?
According to a new survey by Talent Board, there are a few factors at play. There are obviously the job seekers themselves, 57% said they were considering more than one offer. It makes sense that they’d feel empowered to search for a career upgrade considering about 75% of workers found their previous boss difficult to talk to and 2 in 3 workers said they were overworked at their last job. In looking for new jobs, today’s candidates are being especially wary to avoid the pitfalls of their previous positions.
Most candidates (59%) say they wouldn’t have started looking for another job had their current boss been better at communicating. With that said, the survey showed that managers and supervisors still aren’t talking to their employees about how much they are appreciated; a mere 29% said those conversations happen regularly.
This may be why the overwhelming majority of workers are looking for a company that cares about them beyond the workplace (70%).
How Companies Are Winning Talent
Despite the issues that job seekers and employers are facing, there are still a lot of companies that are winning talent. How?
They have re-focused their recruiting efforts on winning over candidates, not just filling jobs. Successful recruiters are able to balance between finding the right fit, and acting decisively by:
- Give quick feedback to candidates
- Be aware that candidates are likely considering multiple offers
- Pull trigger when you have your desired candidate
- Try contract to hire if your FTE process is too slow for market or the position for which you’re hiring
Many are taking a more personalized approach to the interview process. Recently, Google developed a dedicated team (called People Operations) whose sole responsibility is to optimize Google’s recruitment process. Amazon, Facebook, and Apple are all taking steps to learn more about their candidates and understand them personally.
Facebook and Apple have even created new positions just for attracting talent, such as Facebook’s Director of Talent Acquisition. Such positions are crucial in helping these companies stand out as an employer who can appeal to an applicant’s interests and create a more qualified fit for the workplace.
The Key to a Successful Hiring Process
In this competitive market, attracting and retaining top talent is more important than ever. Hiring managers and recruiters should be doing all they can to create a smooth and easy-to-use hiring process.
When employers sell themselves with the same amount of enthusiasm and professionalism as their candidates, they’ll be in a much better place to:
- Identify the right candidates quickly
- Promote their brand as a great employer
- Avoid the time-consuming and costly mistakes that come with a bad hire
This is a shift from the “normal.” Previously, many employers were only focused on filling the job. They’d take too long to interview a candidate and invest too little consideration into, say, how they may fit into the working environment.
These kinds of hires, if they go through at all, have created high turnover, worker frustration and low morale. Candidates who are great communicators may do well in this outdated process. But they may not necessarily be the best fit for a team of engineers or executives who value collaboration over speaking up.
That’s one component to why having a strong candidate experience is vital in today’s market.
As the overall hiring environment continues to tighten, companies need to be more strategic in how they hire. The key to having a strong candidate experience is making the process straightforward and easy. We’ve seen companies simplify their applications by removing unnecessary questions, making sure there’s a career page that showcases their company culture, and by making it easy to apply through social media.
The more you can make the experience tailored to candidates and appropriately address what they are looking for, the better off you will be in the long run.
WideNet Consulting
At WideNet Consulting, we’re here to help you find the aggressive hiring strategy you need to win the war for talent. We’re here to empower you to make your next IT and Technology hire with confidence. Contact our team today to get started.
