The ONS’ latest statistics* show the unemployment rate has decreased, and the number of vacancies has shot up: ‘77,500 above its pre-pandemic level in January to March 2020’. Alongside people’s lukewarm feelings about moving jobs in an uncertain time, the war for talent is making a comeback.
While numerous factors influence how successful a business is in attracting the best people, a slow, unwieldy and badly managed recruitment process is one thing that is guaranteed to turn candidates off.
So, how can organisations ensure finding and hiring talent are both smooth and speedy?
1. Simplify the approval process
A critical vacancy arises, but before you can get it out there, it has to go through numerous internal approvals. The department head wants to review the job description. Senior management needs to sign off on the salary. Marketing wants to make sure the job ad is on brand. In the meantime, productivity suffers, and potentially great candidates are being missed.
Internal governance is, of course, important. But when you need to hire quickly, it’s worth reviewing the recruitment approval cycle to make sure they are fit for purpose. Can the number of people who need to be involved be reduced? Is there any way of speeding up the different stages?
Cloud-based HR systems with a recruitment module like Cezanne HR have a role to play here. By automating unwieldy manual tasks, managers can access the information they need from wherever they may be, and HR can nudge them if they don’t respond quickly enough.
2. Bring consistency to job advertisements
Giving out a strong and consistent message to potential hires ensures that the business is attracting the right kind of people. It helps to ‘sell’ the business and the role as a complete proposition and encourages candidates to engage with you right from the start.
It’s worth taking time to get this right, but once the tone, style and messages have been agreed upon, most recruitment software packages will allow you to set up standard templates that recruiting managers can use. It ensures all the right information is included, gives out a consistent message and saves time by making it easy for managers to input their specific job details into an already-agreed format.
3. Keep up with recruitment trends
Reaching potential candidates is so much easier now than it used to be, especially with an applicant tracking system (ATS). Various job boards are catering for both general and specialist roles, many of which proactively alert job seekers to suitable roles. There are also ‘matching’ services for those looking for apprenticeship and internships, and of course the recruiters’ tool of choice, LinkedIn. Social media platform TikTok has also joined the fray, with the US test release of their recruitment tool aimed at younger people joining the workforce.
While the older tried-and-tested recruitment techniques still have their place, make sure you’re not missing out on good people by overlooking some of the speedier and more innovative platforms that are now out there.
4. Let technology take the shortlisting strain
Sifting through piles of (often unsuitable) applications is one of the biggest bugbears for recruiting managers. This is one area where recruitment software can really help ease the pain.
The latest systems can assist with generating standard application forms, so that all the necessary information is collected, and you can assess candidates on a level playing field. Qualifying questions can be added (such as right to work or any specific qualifications required) to avoid wasting time. It means that viable shortlists can be generated efficiently, allowing you to quickly get requests for interviews out, and maintain the interest of good candidates.
5. Streamline the interview stages
From a candidate’s perspective, there’s nothing more annoying than getting embroiled in a lengthy recruitment process, especially when there are long gaps between assessments and first and second interviews, not to mention long delays when it comes to an offer or rejection being issued. If an offer is made for a comparable job, they are not going to hang about while your company deliberates at length.
Candidates will typically be looking at multiple opportunities and talking with several potential employers, so you don’t have the luxury of time. Take a close look at your different interview/offer stages and assess whether there are ways that software could help you add speed and consistency. What can you do to communicate with the candidates better and improve their experience of your end-to-end recruitment journey? In a tight market, when talent is at a premium, these are the details that could give you the edge.
HR software with recruitment and ATS capabilities can go a long way in making sure hiring is hassle free. Check out this article for more information on how HR software can help with your recruitment process.
* Source: www.ons.gov.uk
Erika Lucas
Writer and Communications Consultant
Erika Lucas is a writer and communications consultant with a special interest in HR, leadership, management and personal development. Her career has spanned journalism and PR, with previous roles in regional press, BBC Radio, PR consultancy, charities and business schools.
