Do you have a candidate attraction strategy?
Brand impressions start way before the interview
It’s the mantra of the moment – “It’s a candidate’s market…there’s a skilled candidate shortage” – so do you have a candidate attraction strategy?
According to the latest job market report from IHS Markit & REC – these are the key areas companies are struggling to find skilled candidates in:
Accounting / Financial: Accountants, Estimators, Finance, FPA, Internal Audit, Paraplanners, Pensions Administrators.
Blue Collar: Blue Collar, Drivers, Forklift Drivers, LGV Drivers, Vehicle Technicians, Warehouse, Welders.
Construction: Quantity Surveyors, Town Planners.
Engineering: CNC, Electronics, Engineers, Managers, Mechanical, Technicians.
Executive/Professional: Business Analysts, Legal Secretaries, Project Managers, Property Solicitors, PR, Scientific.
Hotel / Catering: Catering, Chefs.
IT/Computing: CAD, Cyber Security, Data, Digital Marketing, Infrastructure Consultants, IT Support, Java, J2EE, Networking, Salesforce, Senior IT Professionals, Software Developers, Web Developers.
Nursing / Medical/Care: Care Workers, Genomics, Healthcare Assistants, Home Carers, Nurse, Pharmaceutical, Support Workers, Ultrasound Staff.
Secretarial /Clerical: Administrators.
Other: B2B Sales, Call Centre, Customer Services, Sales, Sponsorship & Media Sales, Technical Sales, Telesales, Waste & Environment Staff.
Dovetail can certainly help you with most of the office-based jobs above. But as a company, what do you need to be doing to make yourselves more attractive to the candidates out there?
As we know it’s a candidate-led market – and they have the choice. It’s often the case at the moment that candidates are lining up the interviews and ultimately, they are in the enviable position of being able to pick and choose job offers.
“they now have more choices and improved access to the best jobs available, where previously they did not. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that the average time span an employee now spends working for any one employer is less than two years in the UK.” findtheedge.com
So, it’s become increasingly important for employers to make their company an attractive proposition for any prospective candidate or employee. That means from the very start of your relationship with that candidate – they need to have a positive experience. It’s not just about giving them attractive benefits, salary and package – it’s about being an attractive place to work.
Companies are struggling to retain staff and find the right skilled candidates – so it makes commercial sense to retain your workforce – to save money and time.
Create a candidate attraction strategy!
Companies need to get their Brand Marketing & PR head on to up the ante and ideally review all touch points that your candidate is likely to have: Website, Reception, Phone calls, Call Centre, Retail experience – does the in-store music reflect the brand? How do the store windows look, does the reception area give a good first impression when someone walks in for the first time?
It all makes an impact on a prospective candidate and builds their impression of your company – and ultimately if it’s somewhere they would like to work. Your recruitment strategy needs to be treated just like another product or part of your business.
Visit find the edge, for more ideas on how to create a candidate attraction strategy.
Brand impressions start way before the interview
The tricky thing is that with many larger companies, your prospective candidates could have been an existing customer for months or years…and of course, we can’t change the past. It’s remembering how important your customer service is and making sure every potential contact point builds a positive experience for your consumers.
Try to think with an outsider’s viewpoint – and assess the good and the bad.
Any communication – email, advertising, social media, direct mail – you name it – it all makes an impression on your future employees.
We recently wrote that if a prospective candidate has a negative experience with your company or brand – it can become financially detrimental to your company. Unfortunately, the power of the peer and the fact that negative experiences are more memorable than positive – means companies have to be on the ball.
Many companies are leading the way with candidate attraction strategies – which sets the benchmark for everyone else. A good and bad thing. But just look to the big brands for examples and inspiration. Sadly, we can’t all be Google or Apple with big budgets to spend but we can learn and use some of their techniques to adapt to our own company brand – to build a successful candidate attraction strategy.
Related Dovetail articles:
The War for Talent
Talent Retention Strategy
Half of UK Workforce looking to change jobs
