The hiring process has transformed in the last few decades. We have moved from help wanted ads to online job boards and employment websites. We can now search for quality hires from across the country, and even the globe, instead of just in our immediate area. And we can perform better, more focused candidate searches to bring in the most qualified applicants.
But with all of these advances, challenges remain. Here’s a look at some of the biggest recruiting challenges of the day, as reported by top staffing agencies, and some ideas for addressing them.
- Candidate-driven market – Demand for talent today outweighs supply in many industries, particularly those that require highly specialized or skilled workers. It is not unusual for a quality candidate to be approached by multiple recruiters as they begin their job search. If you’re not making a quick, competitive offer, you may lose out. Working with an experienced staffing firm can help here. They often have access to a large pool of specialized workers. If you need a highly skilled benefits administrator for your HR department, for example, you could call on a human resources recruiter to get the right person for the job. If it’s a JAVA developer you need, you could draw on the resources of a technology recruiter. Recruiters with niche specialties can leverage their extensive network and help you get the right person for the job in less time.
- Staying organized – It used to be that keeping track of applicants involved filing away a stack of the best resumes. Now, with online job searches, you need a way to organize and store leads digitally. You can create your own organization technique with a program like Excel or tap into advanced software. You can also use technology to automate your hiring process. The hiring processes of past years were clumsy and time-consuming. They involved gathering hard-copy resumes, printing digital resumes, shuttling them to the right departments, and trying to work with the schedules of managers and applicants to set up job interviews. There are now automated solutions to streamline these processes. For example, a shared scheduling application can take the middleman out of the interview scheduling process entirely. It can take some time to get smart with these tech-tools, but your efforts will save you time and headaches down the line and help you get the best people for your organization with greater efficiency.
- Promoting your brand – Give the limited pool of applicants for many jobs these days, you need to sell yourself to potential candidates even as they are aiming to sell themselves to you. Are potential employees getting organized, professional communications from your company? Or a hodge-podge of disjointed messages from multiple staff members? Do your website and social media pages project a company that is up-and-coming and a great place to work? A poor first impression could scare qualified applicants away. Make sure that your communications are consistent and professional and that your company branding is inviting for potential employees.
- Reaching Millennials – By 2020, Millennials are expected to make up more than one-third of the global workforce. In order to reach Millennials, you need to go where they are. This means social media, so if you are not currently on social media, it’s important to go there and create a vibrant and engaging presence on Instagram, Facebook, and more. Millennials give prime value to a sense of purpose. They want to make positive contributions to the world and society. When interviewing people from this generation, help them know how working for your company can help them achieve these goals.
In order to stay effective with your recruiting, you need to stay ahead of the curve. Keep an eye on the latest trends and adapt your strategies to stay in sync with them. It will pay off in the caliber of employees you attract.