What a difference a year makes. From a stalled job market in 2020 to one where many sectors are thriving and workers have the upper hand. Why do they have the upper hand? Well, in what is (hopefully) the tail-end of the pandemic in the U.S., the economy is predictably changing for the better, but unpredictably, the pandemic changed something in workers too. They’re more willing to leave jobs for employers they’re unsatisfied with and expect more from companies they apply to. This includes socially responsible practices, living wages, and quality of life considerations. As stated in the New York Times, “Companies are going to have to work harder to attract and retain talent.” With the high demand for applicants, you must recruit like a marketer using the best recruiting technology available to attract the talent your company needs to succeed.
This job market is unlike any other economic recovery in the past. Here are six ways to navigate it and find candidates quickly.
1. Combine people power + smart systems
This month, Indeed’s chief economist said that Indeed job postings in nearly all sectors are above the pre-pandemic baseline. Who’s working to fill these jobs? You guessed it, job postings for human resource workers are also up 15.3% in the past four weeks. Yet, just hiring more recruiters is not going to help your company competitively fill its open positions. Together, talented talent acquisition (TA) professionals leveraging today’s technology will prove to be the way to win top talent, according to Forbes Human Resource Council.
2. Get your team ahead of your competition
It’s an exciting time for hiring – if you set your team up for success. Recruiters need solutions to automate the process and quickly get talent in the door in this competitive market. For instance, sourcing technology such as Jobvite’s Source & CRM can effortlessly publish job postings to 20+ job boards, including boards dedicated to specific audiences. This tool can also engage candidates via the channels they’re most responsive to – whether that’s email, text, or social media. You can also run multiple ultra-targeted email campaigns to thousands of recipients. Candidates are automatically directed to a suitable talent network or job and your TA team can use the software functionality for tracking purposes and iterative campaign analysis.
3. Think long-term
Worker retention is even more important now, which means your up-front hiring decisions should look at hard skills (e.g., degrees, specific experience) and soft skills as must-haves. For instance, can the candidate adapt to change? Do they have an affinity for learning? Do they train well? Remember to focus beyond time to fill. Find a quality hire that is the right fit to grow with your company and you will reduce turnover costs, add value to the company culture, and help your business thrive for the long term.
4. Make the process personalized and easy for candidates
People expect a highly personalized, fast, “Amazon-esque” consumer experience. Candidates expect that with employers now too. Yet Jobvite’s 2021 Job Seeker Nation Report shows that 64% of respondents believe the job-seeking process is at least somewhat more stressful than pre-pandemic. Make it easier for them. Give candidates a seamless, personalized, and simple experience across your company’s career site. Make information about available positions, benefits, and company brand clearly and easily available and have their questions answered on-demand. Creating a candidate-friendly, mobile-friendly, and straightforward process will reduce long application times and drop-off rates.
5. Automate where you can
The pandemic increased the number of businesses turning to technology automation for recruiting. Improve recruiter efficiency by eliminating repetitive administrative tasks and data entry errors through automation. Narrow down applications to the most qualified candidates quickly by integrating tools like candidate matching and chatbots to work in the background. This allows you to engage, inform, nurture, schedule, and screen candidates on-demand. Your TA team will thank you and have more time to focus on hiring the right talent for your company.
6. Be creative
Candidate expectations have changed. Be creative around what is necessary to meet your company’s needs as well as the needs of future employees. This could mean allowing more flexible hours, work-from-home options, or partnering with a childcare provider to attract primary caregivers (often mothers). This may also involve some out-of-pocket investments, but compared to lost revenue or higher attrition among your workers, the cost-benefit is often in your favor.
As Harvard Business Review warns, a successful recruiting strategy today “starts with acknowledging that you won’t solve your current hiring challenges by applying the solutions of the past.” It’s not something to fear, you just need to right tools.
How can you source and attract the right high-quality talent faster? The answer starts with Jobvite. We’re here to help answer your questions. Reach out today to schedule a demo.
