The buzz at the moment? Good people are hard to find!
This is what we call a candidate short market, a candidate driven market or simply a skills shortage. Being a boom or bust state we are no stranger to the ups and downs of WA, if there is parity it is short lived.
So, I thought it was pertinent to share with you some tips to have in your candidate attraction toolbox – to make sure you are drawing in the best talent to your business.
Put your best foot forward
Now more than ever pre-employment “courtship” and external branding is an important part of candidate attraction. I would even go as far to say that it is as important as the time and effort put into your products and services. Without clients there is no business, but without people, service delivery is compromised.
Pre-employment engagement is like dating (we’ve spoken about this before) you want to make sure you have the very best chance of finding “the one”.
We know that both passive and active job seekers want to know about business culture, ethics, existing employee engagement and stability. So in this market, businesses need to focus on their appearance, become an employer of choice and standout in the crowd to have a chance of getting great team members.
When was the last time you googled your business?
What “messaging” does your company send to the market that would make it a great place to work?
Disclaimer: I am not a marketing or PR specialist, but I do get feedback from candidates when they decide not to pursue an opportunity.
‘Look, I saw something online and it just doesn’t sit well with me’
‘I didn’t like the way they spoke about…’
‘They say they are dynamic and innovative, but their website looks like it is from the dark ages – so I think it’s all talk’
Want to stop scaring away possible candidates because you don’t know where to start when it comes to talking about your business culture and workplace?
Here is JP’s handy toolkit to get you on track:
On the line: Punctuate business related posts with ones that showcase your current team, sending a message that you look after your existing staff. This might be shoutouts for achievement of individuals or teams. If you compare our Instagram to our LinkedIn page you will see that we have “humanised” the Itches on Instagram where our audience is predominately candidates – but we keep our LinkedIn more focused on our clients.
Lightbulb: Be interesting, share market insights and where possible, measure yourselves against market trends. This might include your staff retention rates, the growth of your business or information about your industry.
Celebrate the successes: Do you showcase your company success on your website or social media channels? Do you submit achievements to industry news outlets? This might relate to news, new acquisitions or latest projects or cutting edge equipment. This looks particularly good to candidates when they assess the stability of a company.
From the leaders: What messaging do the Directors, Owners or Managers deliver through their channels and networks? Are they humanised? Do they inspire and encourage? What is the leadership team offering? If you aren’t too comfortable ‘tooting’ your own horn, consider becoming a subject matter expert or a thought leader. Don’t be beige people - standout!
The social stuff: Do you have a high performing team? Do you reward the achievers? And if so, where do you share this news? Another important element to showcasing your company culture is publishing (appropriate) content of your social events – like Christmas parties, Melbourne Cup, milestones or birthday celebrations. These types of things humanise your company, and highlight an inclusive work culture.
And so in conclusion…
I can imagine that some of you reading this (I know there will be one in particular RR) who might disagree with my opinion but let me remind you of every time you rejected a candidate based on their social media, LinkedIn profile, resume, education, sex or age. Because as much as we are trying to create change, we know this still happens. So maybe it is only fair that the tables are turning and we are being judged just like we have judged.
It is right? Is it fair? I’ll let you decide…
Once you have someone in the door, the interview process is really when you seal the deal. We have an excellent document (if I don’t say so myself)
Written by Jodie Perram, Founder + Director, Itch