Winning the War for Talent
You may have heard that there is a shortage of talent across most industries? I have read many recent social media posts from business owners that have advertised job vacancies and aren’t getting any applications or when they do the job seekers are not suitable or genuinely interested in the opportunity.
What can you do to win the war for talent?
Internal
Promote from within – have conversations with your staff about their career aspirations and map out a career pathway or opportunities for them to develop their skills
Retain your current staff – value what you’ve got, the cost to replace staff is much higher than to retain your staff
Upskill your current staff to take on new positions / project opportunities
Implement an employee referral bonus program. Employees generally refer contacts that they would want to work with themselves. Also an attractive bonus ($1000 +) is an incentive that entices people to refer.
External
Review your selection criteria for the job – can you train some skills?
Hire for attitude and teach skill - if someone is enthusiastic and has a positive attitude and fits in with your team culture you can teach the skill. The opposite can be said for someone who has a poor attitude or is the wrong culture fit, no amount of skills will improve that wrong fit.
Are you paying current market rates? The market rates may have increased with the shortage of talent, do your research as part of your recruitment plan.
Research the relevant job search platforms to advertise – where are your talent looking?
What sets you apart from your competitors? This needs to be stated early in an advertisement
Is your advertisement clear and concise? Most people search for jobs on their mobile devices, if the advertisement is too wordy/long or reads like a job description candidates will be less likely to read it
Are you advertising the benefits and what candidates can expect from the job? Remember you are trying to sell the opportunity, not just list your selection criteria
Does your website/social media provide the information candidates are seeking e.g. career opportunities, culture, values, information about the organisation?
Contact suitable candidates as soon as possible after they apply for the job. Time is critical when they apply, if you wait too long the candidate may have accepted another job.
Consider the steps in your recruitment process – do you need a second/third interview? You may lose the candidate if your process is too lengthy or takes too long.
If you are interested in a candidate after the interview let them know that, delaying could cost you the candidate.
After the interview/reference check process offer a candidate a position asap after the interview.
Follow up with unsuccessful candidates, they may be suitable candidates for future opportunities or refer contacts if they have had a positive experience regardless of the outcome.
I am working with many business owners who have tried to employ staff without success. If this sounds like you, please book a Free Discovery call where we can discuss your challenges and how I can assist including developing a recruitment strategy.