What does a ‘typical January’ in recruitment look like, you wonder? Lots of excellent candidates looking for roles at businesses just like yours!
What’s new?
This year, there are fresh candidates out in the job market. Many stayed in safe roles to see out the pandemic and are now looking for a new challenge. This means that there is a pool of talented people out there who can bring both knowledge and experience to a role.
What should our application process look like?
It’s a competitive job market, so make sure your job description and application process are clear and concise. Applicants don’t want to read vague adverts, long-winded application forms and redirect links. Candidates also want to know what the salary is, not necessarily because they are money motivated, but so they can benchmark this against what they currently earn. This will hopefully ensure that you have quality candidates that match your requirements as well as their career aspirations.
Be open minded
Don’t forget, many prospective employees will be applying for roles whilst juggling lifestyle changes, childcare, working or studying. They want to read your advert, make sure it’s right for them and upload their tailored CV.
A CV is a working document that they take pride in and will often tweak to highlight their competencies relevant to your role, but if they haven’t done the exact role, or worked in the same industry as you, be open minded about their transferable skills.
Set some timescales!
The world is ever-changing, and people don’t have time to wait around – that includes you and the candidates. As a result of the pandemic, there has been an increased pace in employers hiring and with competition higher than ever you will need to act quick to increase your chances of securing the best candidate.
Make sure you have a time frame of when you would ideally like the role to start. Don’t put adverts out too late – people could get another offer in the meantime. Equally, don’t put your adverts out too early – people must work their notice and you could find yourself losing a good candidate because they can’t wait for you.
Set a closing date and make sure you respond to their application. A simple email saying “if you haven’t heard from us by a specific date, your application is unsuccessful” is perfectly acceptable to include.
Be flexible!
Give the applicants some notice for their interviews. Many will need to sort time off work, childcare and more. Allow them time to prepare – that’s in your interests as much as theirs! Could you offer a remote interview via video link to ease the time burden? Consider alternative interview methods to make it easier for the candidate to meet with you.
We have all had to be adaptable throughout the pandemic, and this is set to continue. Jobseekers are actively looking for flexibility with new roles. The Office for National Statistics found that of adults currently homeworking, 85% wanted to use a “hybrid” approach of both home and office working in future. Can you make these adjustments to secure the best talent?
Finally, if recruiting is feeling somewhat overwhelming, we’re here to help. We don’t just specialise in recruiting candidates; we also work with businesses to retain talent and keep their teams happy.
Contact us today on 0114 321 1873 or hello@glurecruit.co.uk to see what Glu can do for you.