According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS) while the number of vacancies has generally been increasing since 2012, it has been falling since early 2019. From July to September 2019, there were around 813,000 job vacancies in the UK. Finding the best possible people who fit within your culture and contribute to your organisation to fill these vacancies is both a challenge and a business opportunity. Without a strategy, it can be an expensive and time-consuming process, especially if you make the wrong recruitment decisions. Creating a successful recruitment strategy is important in helping your business to thrive. Here are 5 tips for successful recruitment:
1. Widen your candidate pool
Successful recruitment means widening your talent pool rather than just simply advertising and waiting for interested candidates to apply. Invest time in developing relationships within your industry as well as with recruiters, universities, colleges and training programmes. You can use social media to find potential candidates and get closer to passive candidates who may not be actively job-hunting but could become inspired by your job openings. Don’t forget your staff can help too. Each member of your team is connected to a vast network of people. Chances are, if you think highly of your employees then you’ll probably also be interested in the people they know. A candidate referral scheme can be a low cost but effective way of finding new talent for your business.
2. Create strong job descriptions
Evidently, Failing to accurately describe the position you are recruiting for, becomes a disadvantage right from the start. It’s crucial that you are honest about the job to make sure you attract the right candidates. Don’t try to ‘dress up’ the role or. It isn’t ideal to hire a talented employee who discovers that the job doesn’t fit their expectations as they will likely become less engaged and start looking elsewhere. Resist the temptation to simply tweak a standard job description or recycle what was used for the role’s previous occupant. Take the opportunity to start afresh and look at what the role requires, alongside the duties of the rest of the team.
3. Prioritise candidate experience
Creating an outstanding candidate experience can help set you apart from other organisations as an attractive employer. But get it wrong and your company can earn a reputation that’s hard to come back from. When you create a positive candidate experience, candidates get the impression that your company already cares about its people, before they are even on your team. If their experience as a candidate is positive, even those who are unsuccessful will still have great things to say about your company. For candidates who don’t make it through the hiring process, but could still be a good fit in the future, phone them and highlight the positives, suggest areas they could work on and ask to stay in touch. As many as 56% of people who had a positive candidate experience said they would pursue the company for employment again and 37% would even recommend their friends to apply.
4. Consider in-house and previous candidates
Providing opportunities for existing employees will boost workplace morale and make your current staff feel that their skills and accomplishments are recognised and appreciated. Aim to always post vacancies internally first and go through the interview process with internal candidates. You may find a good fit between your needs and theirs. Don’t discount previous applicants or candidates just because they weren’t chosen before. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they wouldn’t be the perfect match for another role on your team or for the same position if it comes up again.
5. Check references when recruiting employees
A survey of 1,000 employees by a cloud-based referencing platform, has found that just over 23% of candidates were not asked for a reference when they recently applied for a job. Meanwhile, out of those who were, 23% said that their referee was never contacted. But if you don’t check a candidate’s references then you are entirely reliant on what they tell you and your impressions of them. References should be checked carefully to ensure that the person you hire can not only do the job but contribute to the company’s growth and development. You also need to know that there are no past transgressions that could endanger your business or current workforce.
For advice or support with your next recruitment campaign, contact HR Solutions on 0844 324 5840. Find out about our Fixed Fee Recruitment Service at www.hrsolutions-uk.com/fixed-fee-recruitment.
