According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in the United States is at 3.9 percent – hovering around the record low of 3.7. While low unemployment typically indicates that things are good for workers, the actual picture is less clear. But what isn’t changing, is that companies are constantly looking for good people – and people are constantly looking for good companies. And in order to grow your business, you need to find the best people to fill positions at your organization.
Fortunately, there are recruitment best practices that can help your brand stand out from the other businesses competing for a limited number of qualified candidates.
In this post, we’ll discuss how companies can set themselves apart and position themselves as excellent workplaces to attract new talent – but also to hold onto the talent you currently have in your organization.
Attracting talent can sound deceptively simple, but you can improve your ability to bring talented workers to your organization with good recruitment practices.
Here are some ways your company can set itself apart and reach great candidates.
You need to actively recruit prospective employees – which means going beyond a simple job posting. In a competitive market, connect with prospective candidates by taking these additional steps:
Using different or non-traditional outreach helps you connect with younger candidates particularly, as they tend to be more tech savvy and prefer online communication.
Hires will want to look at your complete benefits package when considering an offer – and in many cases value healthcare benefits over other factors. Sixty-percent of workers say they would take a job that had a great benefits package, even if it had lower compensation.
Look on sites like LinkedIn and Glassdoor to get a better idea of what your competitors offer. This will help you remain competitive in the field and avoid potentially losing great candidates because others offer better benefits.
For companies that can’t offer competitive benefits, working with an HR partner can help you secure quality benefits without the high costs they typically incur, which will allow you to compete with larger.
Make sure you do not lose any prospective hires because your hiring process takes too long. With the number of candidates applying to multiple jobs, you want to make sure that your first choice hears from you before your competitors. This will keep them from moving on to work with someone else, simply because they had not heard from you, yet.
Throughout the process, focus on transparency and communication with your prospects. Let them know where they are in the process and when they can expect various decisions to be made. Do not let them feel as though they have been left in the dark or unsure about when they will hear from you next.
People rarely want to be stagnant in their careers – and showcasing that you invest in their growth and give them room to grow can be a major selling point. Talented employees in particular tend to be highly ambitious. Letting them know that your company is making changes, and that they can move up with it, encourages them to stay with your company for a long time.
Attract great employees, and keep your existing ones, by creating a strong work culture. You want a company culture that will win candidates over and keep existing employees. Showcase your work culture when people come in for interviews, and make it readily apparent on social media and your website.
Your culture should make it easy for people to visualize working with you. Your employees should feel passionate about what they do and happy with their jobs on a daily basis. Focus on maintaining an environment with strong communication where people feel respected and listened to.
When it comes to recruiting top talent in this tough job market, you have to think outside the box. Candidates who have more flexibility regarding the companies they work for want to find an employer who will sweep them off their feet. To do this, you need to be proactive in your search for the best prospective hires, know that you have created a competitive benefits package, have a quick and streamlined hiring process, and present an attractive company culture.
HR partners – like Questco – have the expertise to improve your hiring process by taking over and streamlining key features like onboarding and standardizing outreach.