Attracting and Hiring Great Talent in a Tight Labor Market

Attracting and Hiring Great Talent in a Tight Labor Market

Did you know that, on average, top job candidates stay available for just 10 days before finding an opportunity? What is your organization doing to attract and hire talent that can move the needle?  

There may be times where the labor market is so tight that your business may have challenges finding good talent. Even in cases with low national unemployment, it is important to know how to attract the best talent on the market before they end up working for your competitors. The right personnel driving your team can make all the difference in your success as a business, regardless of size. As you work with your human resources team or get support from an HR expertise provider, such as Taskly, here are several strategies you can utilize to hire talent even in the midst of low employment or economic uncertainty. 

Make Your Benefits Package Stand Out  

An obvious point of attraction for potential new hires is the salary and benefits package. This is among the most attractive factors job seekers consider when looking for a new job. It is not the only factor that most job prospects care about, but it is still important to make your job opening stand out with an attractive and competitive benefits package. In your package, highlight perks such as healthcare, competitive pay, retirement, savings, and more. Keep in mind, even if your health benefits aren’t as strong as you’d like them to be, there may be an opportunity to offer unique benefits such as gym memberships, health app subscriptions, or other valuable offerings to help your benefits package stand out.    

Make the Communication More Personalized  

In the hiring and recruiting aspect of business, prospective talents evaluate not only your business as an entity but want to know the personalities behind it as well. As you communicate with potential employees, regardless of the platform, take the time to learn about their backgrounds and prior experiences. Tie their background into your recruitment strategy and show them you have a genuine interest in their application as well as their potential fit with your team. You may find your company gets a better response rate when recruitment efforts are customized to a specific prospect’s talents and background.  

Review Your Job Description  

A job description is not always the easiest asset to create. You have to nail down the details, responsibilities, and expectations of a job. To get better responses, however, you have to know how to consolidate this information in a short, attractive description. Keep the titles simple and use real-life descriptions that are most relevant to the types of people you are hoping to attract. In addition, do not add an excessive amount of detail in the requirements. Convert your list into a range of bullet points and use clean, short paragraphs with easy-to-read fonts. 

If you are struggling with creating an attractive job description, consider partnering with an HR expertise provider who can help you optimize your recruitment strategy to reach top industry talent.   

Make the Application Process Less Intimidating  

Applying for a position can be an intimidating first task for any potential employee who wants to join your team. If you add too many steps and procedures,  it can increase the likelihood that applicants move on to another opportunity, potentially with a competitor. By making the application process quick and easy to navigate, it will be more appealing for job applicants and boost the amount of interest your organization receives. In addition, a simple application process helps you efficiently obtain the information that you need to make a decision without deliberating too much. 

Highlight Flexibility  

More professionals are considering remote work and scheduling flexibility when it comes to deciding their next job, especially amid and following the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a study by  Swiss-based office service provider IWG, over 70 percent of workers globally work outside the office at least once per week. The same study also indicated that another 60 percent of employees would leave their job for a remote opportunity with similar pay. Over the years, technological advances have helped many professionals complete their work more efficiently without being in an office. The COVID-19 pandemic has also demonstrated the value of remote opportunities in terms of protecting the health of a workforce. Since remote work has been shown to pay dividends – and if it is something you offer – then make it a prominent part of your recruitment strategy. 

Do you already have employees working from home? If so, consider creating a remote employee pulse survey to gain employee insights.   

Promote Your Company Culture  

Another crucial component of attracting and hiring qualified talent is your organization’s culture. Culture is more than just a recruitment piece, and encapsulates all aspects of your work environment and how the organization is perceived. Employees of companies with a strong culture, tend to have 20 percent higher job satisfaction. Company culture can include encouraging diversity and inclusion, providing paid time off (PTO), creating team-building events, encouraging wellness, and more. As you review the culture of your company, look at what values you truly want to highlight among your team and emphasize these in your organization’s recruiting process. 

Look at Opportunities from Freelancers  

Since the Great Recession almost 14 years ago, freelance work has been continuing to build momentum. More part-time workers, freelancers, and contractors are plying their talent for companies than ever before. If you are looking for assistance with one-off projects, sites such as Upwork and Fiverr can help connect you to professionals who may be able to meet your project-based needs. For HR tasks, partnering with an HR expertise provider like Taskly, can help elevate your organization and take your HR strategy to the next level.  

Takeaways  

Hiring during times of low unemployment can be a challenge, but can also be seen as an opportunity. Understanding how to navigate through these circumstances and hiring the right employees can improve your process in the long term. If your organization wants to stand out amongst the competition and hire the most qualified talent, focus on providing valuable benefits, creating clear and concise job descriptions, communicating your unique culture, streamlining and consolidating the hiring process, and being flexible. 

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