Is fall one of the most important seasons for hiring at your company? As the fourth and final quarter of the year is now underway, employers must re-evaluate workforce needs and implement new strategies to address new staffing demands. Whether your company is struggling to find talent or simply trying to ramp up hiring efforts, understanding what parts of your candidate recruitment process need improvement is key. And, often, what you aren’t doing can be just as harmful as what you are doing. Taking time to identify what might be indirectly turning away candidates can often be an important first step in the right direction. Here are four ways your company may be scaring away potential talent:
No flexibility.
Flexibility has been a major focus in the workforce for the past several years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. If your company is still not offering any form of scheduling flexibility to employees, this is a surefire way to drive away any potential talent. Employees who leave your organization due to burnout will be quick to tell others about how lack of flexibility left them feeling physically and mentally drained. Now, more than ever, job seekers are looking for companies that value their time not just in the workplace, but outside their jobs. To improve candidate recruitment, consider implementing at least one flexible workforce policy, such as a part-time remote work model or flextime options. Incorporating flexibility within your company can go a long way in promoting loyalty among current staff while generating more interest in your employment opportunities among candidates.
Lack of engagement.
In today’s ever-changing workforce, engagement with candidates remains paramount for attracting potential candidates. A lack of engagement throughout the recruitment process can be detrimental for many reasons. Jobseekers are often seeking employers that personalize the application experience and care about their candidates’ well-being beyond the confines of a job itself. You can increase engagement by adding interactive elements to your marketing, such as video testimonials from current employees or visually stimulating social media pages that shed light on your corporate culture. With digital media heavily driving candidate interest, companies that invest in a sound social recruiting strategy are more likely to find candidates with a genuine interest and desire to pursue a job application.
Stale job descriptions.
Is your hiring team using the same job descriptions that were used five years ago? Stale job descriptions are easily one of the most common causes of lost talent. Failing to develop compelling descriptions that highlight the perks and benefits your company has to offer will result in talent looking elsewhere for opportunities. To improve job descriptions, consider articulating your company’s mission; adding transparent language about the interview process and flexible work offerings; and focusing on candidates’ ideal skills – rather than required degrees and experience. Broadening your job descriptions will present candidates with a clearer narrative about what your company stands for and what types of individuals are the best fit for your culture.
Poor communication.
Even though electronic communication has many benefits for conducting communication with candidates, it is not a replacement for person-to-person interactions during certain points of the application process. Giving candidates the opportunity to communicate with a live person at your organization with any questions will personalize the hiring process and allow for them to have any concerns addressed without feeling left in the dark about what to expect. While electronic communications serve their purpose of providing general automated responses or messages, live in-person communication ensures candidates have their voices heard and can acquire the information they need to properly navigate your hiring procedures. If your organization is currently lacking a platform for one-on-one communication, it may be time to implement ways for which candidates can get in touch directly with your hiring team, such as a specified phone number, instant messaging system, or email address. With better access, candidates will feel their time is being valued and ultimately be more inclined to pursue your application process.
If your company is guilty of one or more of the offenders above, you’re likely scaring away top talent without even knowing it. Over time, this can have devastating effects on your company’s recruitment outcomes, resulting in a downward trend of quality candidates applying and interviewing for jobs. Furthermore, a failure to reverse any of the above factors can have negative consequences for your existing workforce, becoming a main driver of high turnover and overall dissatisfaction among staff. Investing in changes at the leadership level to address these fundamental deficits will be critical for long-term workforce development and growth.
Planning to expand your team this fall and find top-quality talent? Get in touch with HH Staffing, a leading staffing agency with offices throughout Florida, and learn how we can assist with your recruitment and hiring efforts.
Until Next Time,
Your Staffing Partner, Darrin Rohr- President, CEO, and Chief Servant
Current owner of HH Staffing and Former Chief HR Officer for several successful Multinational Fortune 500 Companies. Brings a fresh perspective from decades of experience creating Great Workplace Cultures by building high-performance teams while leading and managing people from all different backgrounds. HH Staffing is headquartered in Sarasota, Florida, and is uniquely positioned to serve both local and national clients.
