The first few months of a new year is typically prime time for recruitment, with many job seekers having spent more time reflecting on their careers over the holiday period, evaluating where they’re going and searching for new opportunities..
With that in mind, we’ve got 5 tips to help our members achieve successful recruitment campaigns.
1: Spend more time on your job advert
An effective advert should be brief, clear and to the point. As most candidates search online using phones, tablets and their laptops during their commute or after work, brevity is key.
The candidate will most likely be scanning a large number of similar job adverts, so you want yours to stand out from the crowd - and for all the right reasons. If you need advice on writing a great job advert, check out this great blog from one of members here.
The more energy and care you put into writing your advert, the higher the chance you have of attracting the perfect candidate.
2: Work on your employer branding
Employer brand refers to a company's reputation as a place to work and also their employee value proposition. (i.e what the company has to offer the candidate by means of staff development or general perks, etc.)
Establishing and promoting your employer brand can have a hugely positive effect on the success of a business.
A recent study by LinkedIn shows that 75% of job seekers consider an employer’s brand before even applying for a job.
Having a strong brand impacts whether qualified candidates will decide to join your team – or accept a competitor’s offer instead.
3: Publish the salary
We support hundreds of companies in their successful recruitment campaigns every year, and on average, job adverts with a published salary receive a much higher volume of applications than those with hidden, or "negotiable" salaries.
Smaller companies may not be able to compete with the salaries offered by much larger businesses, however, don't let that put you off providing the salary.
You should place your focus on your company culture, benefits, glassdoor ratings, clients and all of the factors that make your company a great place to work. Job seekers will value your honesty, and you will have people applying that are truly passionate about wanting to be part of your business.
So be as upfront as possible, even if the salary isn't as large as some other advertising companies are offering.
4: Embrace social media
Social media has opened up new avenues of engagement and transformed the way we can exchange information. With more people engaging with social media, it is worth investing some time into including it in your recruitment process.
According to a recent study, 67% of job seekers use social media to gain insights into the company culture.
As with any strong campaign, you need to build awareness and good news about your organisation to attract the right people. The recruitment of staff is a continuous process that doesn’t just end with a job interview.
Having a consistent plan with your social media strategy that reinforces your core values as a business will help to improve your brand awareness among key audiences and, as a result, your future recruitment outcomes.
5: Respond to every candidate
And finally, when you post your advert online, you can usually expect to receive a high volume of applications, but of those applications, few will make it through to the next stage.
It takes time and energy to apply for each job advert so, as an act of common courtesy, you should try to respond to every application you receive.
Your reputation is your brand!
_____________________
So, there you have it, five recruitment resolutions to put into action next time you have an advert to post! If you wanted to chat about the above in further detail or had any other questions, feel free to drop me an email on mia@wiredsussex.com