Picture this: you’ve just met with a prospective employee and everything went extremely well. The candidate loved the thought of working for your team, loved the reputation of your business, loved EVERYTHING. At that moment, all you see is sunshine and rainbows. The future of the company is about to get even better. But wait, the recruitment agency you work with has just informed you that this perfect candidate has secured a job elsewhere? How can that be? Suddenly, the sunshine vanishes and is drearily replaced with a heavy downpour. You were going to make them an offer. They were going to be a member of your team, not someone else’s. The recruiter’s voice rings like alarm bells in your head: “While you were THINKING, your competition was ACTING.”
This is a common occurrence in today’s climate where demand for jobs is at a high due to the repercussions of the pandemic. In terms of our niche, there are more bilingual speakers than there are jobs. We’re living in what is called a ‘candidate’s market’, meaning that the candidate ultimately has an array of jobs to choose from. As a result, they can negotiate the best salary, career development plan, and flexible working patterns from each employer and thus take control.
As an employer, to combat being beaten to the punch by your competitors, you need to be more strategic in your hiring process. Your deliberating on HR over salary requirements could be that push the candidate needs to choose your competitor instead. While it is important to be thoughtful, you cannot be indecisive. Here are 3 strategies that will better your position in the race to employ top talent:
1. Employer branding
It is so important to ensure that when hiring a top-quality candidate, your business is top-quality too. Therefore, you need to make the business as attractive as possible – demonstrate that you care about your interviewee’s needs and requirements, offer learning and development opportunities, and use testimonials from your existing employees. Ask yourself: “Why would a candidate want to work for me?” If you can offer what comes to mind in your answer, this will enable you to stand out against your competitors.
2. Find alternative ways of finding your candidates
Gone are the days when job-seekers relied on job boards. The real talent is not open for everyone to see – they are hidden treasures waiting to be found. This means that you will need to be proactive and search for them. Network and use social media to approach potential interviewees. This will not only allow you to communicate with them directly and get to know them to a certain extent, but it adds a more personal touch to the process.
3. Don’t waste time
Often, the reason a candidate chooses another job elsewhere is because you’ve simply taken too long to give them a response. While you sat on the knowledge that they were interviewing elsewhere, your competition made things happen and sped up the process. If you don’t recognise top talent and make the call, your competitor definitely will. Bottom line, there is no need to elongate the process – good talent doesn’t wait around forever.
Recruiting top talent doesn’t have to be hard – if you embrace these strategies and adapt to hiring trends, you will find the right person for the role and provide a great candidate experience.