We all know it’s a candidate-driven market right now. Here are six tips to help get you back in the driving seat...
#1 Start as you mean to go on
Don’t fall at the first hurdle with the application process. A terse ‘Fill out this form’ isn’t going to cut it in today’s candidate-led market. Have you thought about more? Like company info, a link to the line manager’s profile, a Google map so candidates can see where you’re based. You know, useful and friendly stuff like that. And wherever possible, keep things short and sweet. Noone wants an application form of War and Peace proportions if they can avoid it. Make life easier for your candidates with an Applicant Tracking System that captures essential information up front then sends follow-up forms further along the recruitment stage.
# 2 Smile please – photos are back!
In the Eighties/Nineties there was a trend for including staff photos on careers pages and application forms to make them more personable. That went out of fashion when companies realised photos soon dated when their employees changed roles/left the company/grew a beard. But now those smiling head shots are back! They’re a great way for employers to connect with candidates and say ‘Hey, look at all these shiny, happy people who work here. Come join them.’
#3 Keep candidates onboard
A job offer is never a done deal but with candidates currently running the show and counter-offers reaching crazy figures it’s more important than ever to keep them keen between offer and start date. One of our clients told us their onboarding portal was ‘functional’. And we couldn’t disagree. So we improved it by building in up-to-the-minute content, great imagery and a Twitter feed to make it all the more engaging.
# 4 Be touchy. But not too touchy
An ApplicantTracking System comes with automated touch points to keep candidate communication going. Like emails asking candidates to book their interview, reminding them to show up for the interview, reminding them they should’ve been at the interview half an hour ago… you get the picture. Our ATS allows for as many or as few touchpoints as our clients want. Touchpoints are a good thing and you might want to increase yours if candidates are ignoring you. Equally, you might need less. There’s a fine line between helpful and harassment!
#5 Roll the camera… and cut!
Embedding videos into careers sites and onboarding portals is something we’ve been doing for our clients for years. What could be better for employer branding than a talking heads message from employees and the company’s CEO. But like touchpoints, videos should be used with caution. You don’t want candidates to be sick of the sight of their future boss.
# 6 Share the love
Need helping finding candidates? Use your employees to attract them. Your internal careers portal probably already has an ‘Email to a friend’ button’ to pass on job opportunities. We’ve taken the functionality a step forward with a unique link that employees can share on their social media networks. It widens the reach far beyond an email and the link is trackable back to the employee, which is handy if your company has an employee referral programme. Win-win!