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- Sade Church
What are the best recruiters focusing on doing this year? Sade Church explains
1. Warm one-to-one relationships with candidates are critical
Establish a real relationship with your candidates as soon as you can, because they’re already beginning to edge away from the level of ‘noise’ in the world around them.
2. Yes, mobile is relevant to recruiters
Eighty eight per cent of UK candidates searched for jobs via mobile last year. Were you one of the recruiters they found? Candidates may be slow to apply via tablets and phones, but they’re quick to seek, bookmark and save live vacancies via the mobile medium.
3. Don’t ask candidates to register on your website too soon
Active and passive candidates need to be incentivised by getting a good feel for what’s on offer. The key is to make potential applicants think: “I want more”.
4. Benchmark failure as well as success
Quality equals and can even outweigh quantity in online recruitment. Benchmark the characteristics of people who were previously unsuccessful in a role – then screen them out. It’s harsh, but it does save recruiters’ time and energy.
Recruiters frequently find themselves in a position where they are overwhelmed with the sheer volume of applications for a role, all of which have to be vetted and categorised – but only a minority of those applications will feature the relevant skillsets, qualifications, experience and desired qualities expected of the candidate for that role. An efficient recruitment process often needs streamlining to minimise the volume in favour of increasing the quality of applications.
5. Convert assessment into attraction
Collate feedback from graduates who have come to assessment, then use this valuable information to develop your messaging in attraction channels. Never miss an opportunity to have your talent tell you what they think directly and in their own words.
6. Direct source for ‘Duracell Bunny’ candidates
Direct candidates typically last longer and command a lower salary than candidates sourced from agencies. Aim to fill roles with candidates who are cost-effective and stay the distance.
Direct source candidates who have made the effort to seek an employer have already demonstrated their engagement; they have incentivised themselves to research and apply. The positive impact of direct sourcing can be maximised with an optimised website that meets the standards of both visiting candidates and increasingly exacting search engines. An optimised website with persuasive copy that reflects a candidate’s needs, desires, fears and expectations can really help to convert directly sourced but passive candidates into active, relevant ones who not only successfully complete an application but who, on getting the job, stick around for longer than the courtesy period. A holistic strategy for direct sourcing – one which incorporates paid search, social media, an SEO-optimised website and more besides – means that direct sourcing can increase with a snowball effect and reduce costs on training a regular flow of initially successful candidates who are not fully invested in their role.
7. Link up with LinkedIn
Candidates are three times more likely to apply for roles at companies they follow on LinkedIn. Clearly signpost your core values, benefits and requirements with custom showcase pages.
LinkedIn’s showcase pages can be created in tandem with a brand’s existing company page, increasing the brand’s reach within the sphere of LinkedIn. The real benefit of a showcase page lies in the inherent targeting potential. For example, if targeting a key recruitment area, a showcase page can offer career information, rewards, benefits, advice and incentivising staff profiles for that specific sector. This is great news for recruiters who don’t want to apply a blanket approach and recognise that the needs and expectations of emerging talent, customer service candidates and senior finance candidates may not be universal.
8. Does your data really tell you what you need to know?
Take stock. Understand your candidates so you can tailor messaging to match their needs, desires, fears and expectations. Interrogate your data: ask yourself “what do I want to know” not “what can this data tell me”.
9. Only a child (or a genius) asks “why”
Always ask yourself “why” to make sure you grab every opportunity to innovate and streamline. Constantly ask: “why do things this way?” If nothing solid comes to mind, it’s time to consider alternatives.
10. Think ahead and raise a toast to 2015. There’s no need to nurse last year’s hangover.
The recruitment landscape is evolving at a fierce rate in terms of attraction channels, technologies and candidate needs. Ask yourself how your recruitment practice will stay competitive in a world where desktop computers are of decreasing relevance.
Sade Church is in the Media Events Team at Enhance Media
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