by Stacey Mc Grath, Digital Marketing Executive with Intelligo Sofrware who provide Corporate HR Software and Payroll Software
In the time since the term was coined, the ‘War for Talent’ has continued to rage. Through good times and bad, the skill shortage is ever present in the world of HR and recruitment. Hard to source talent and challenging to fill jobs are now a constant headache for Hiring Managers, yet it looks only to get worse. Over the next two decades, the most significant challenge for businesses in Ireland will be the war to recruit and keep top talent. With the announcement that companies such as Facebook are to double their Irish workforce soon, Ireland has become a central hub for large multinational employers with others such as Amazon and Google following suit. All of which are fighting for the same talent than slightly smaller or home-grown companies. So, there is a small pool of talent with some big and hard to compete with fish.
You are most definitely not alone in the struggle to find great talent and to fill positions in your business, regardless your business size. But HR Managers and Talent Specialists need to have their finger on the pulse of talent and be open to innovative ways on how they can recruit the best of the best which includes improving on your current process. Though a significant portion of the struggle can be attributed to the ‘War for Talent’, some of it may also be linked to how things are done in your recruiting process. Perhaps, there are ways to improve your recruitment methods? Here are three ways you can develop your recruiting process:
Make the Job, and your Business Attractive
If lots of candidates view your job posting but make the decision not to apply for the role, it’s time to get more creative with your job descriptions. After all, the job description is the very beginning of the recruiting process, not only does it need to explain the open role well to attract the top candidates, but it also gives the first flavour of your business and its ethos. So, if your job description is overly stuffy and inconsistent, guess what a potential candidate will think of your company? Therefore, it needs to be constructed to make both the role and your business attractive. Some examples of how to do this may include:
– listing the day-to-day duties of the position and what a day in the life would be like
– highlighting what needs to be accomplished in the first 1-3 months of the role
– elaborating on necessary experience, i.e. instead of “10 years of experience needed,” say “10 years of experience managing teams of 10+ people.”
Simply Simplify the Application
Abandonment of a job application is possibly the most significant way you lose some of the best potential talents, yet some companies continually keep their application system overly complicated. The old idea that if someone wants a job with your business, they will jump through many hoops has gone out the window. With such a plethora of positions available, applicants will abandon an application for this very reason. The application process should be a medium for success, not an obstacle in your recruitment process. To prevent candidate drop-off, it is necessary to pinpoint where in the process the abandonment takes place so that it doesn’t stumble future applicants or diminish your potential talent pool.
Be Prepared for a Two-Way Interview!
Nowadays, job candidates are not the only ones being interviewed during an interview! Top talent uses this as an occasion to ask the business key questions and decide if it is a place they want to work, not always the other way around. To make the right impression the interview needs to be a positive, rewarding experience for both parties. As is tradition, interviewers should examine CV’s and prepare questions before meeting a candidate. But they must be ready to answer questions about the company too. Use this time to highlight core aspects of your work environment that will prompt a candidate to consider your company over others; this can include discussing benefits, perks or even the fact that you have free snacks on site. Don’t get too lost on the frilly stuff either though, frank conversations about progression and growth can be much more beneficial. As a side note, it is also essential to show respect for the candidate. Begin the interview on time and always be professional. Remember, all it takes is a single negative review about their experience online or within your industry to undercut even the most active recruitment strategy.
All in all, if you want to win the ‘War for Talent’, by improving your recruitment process, you are making serious strides to get the best for your business, but that is only some of the work needed. The other elements include improving your Employee Onboarding and Employee Retention. To aid your recruitment and general HR duties, you may also consider an HR Software which encompasses the entire range of HR requirements, from recruitment and personnel records management, right through to training admin, succession planning, employee benefits and employee self-service.
