Dramatic shifts in the talent landscape have forced recruiters to become more innovative, agile & dynamic with their approach.
The demand for candidates is greater than the supply, and these shortages are at a 10-year high. It’s predicted by 2030, more than 85 million jobs could go unfilled because there aren’t enough skilled people to fill them. At the same time, we’re dealing with a Great Resignation boom that’s seen 38% of workers plan to look for a new job in the next 12 months, and a further 39% open to new opportunities. So how can this be fixed?
It’s all about being creative in how you reach your candidates, it’s no longer enough to sit back and expect candidates to find you, so recruiters are prioritising the candidate experience, employer branding, and alternative sourcing channels. This means that embracing recruitment marketing tactics like targeted careers sites and employer branding content have become more important to recruiters. This helps to build robust talent pipelines which are sent to a hiring manager.
Therefore, as a result hiring managers must become more proactive in recruiting top talent as candidates have more choices than ever before. So, they won’t be afraid to say no to an offer if their expectations aren’t met.
So as hiring managers how can this be resolved?
1: Employer branding becomes a competitive advantage
In 2022, the way you present your brand is your selling point, as this has a direct impact on your ability to attract and win talent. Recruiters are thinking about where jobseekers may see them: on careers sites, on social media channels, via job boards, and at careers fairs. So, they are putting their best foot forward here, and the general questions they ask are, Is the branding consistent, engaging, and attractive to potential candidates?
Your brand isn’t just the way your organisation looks. It’s also reflected in how you treat your candidates at every stage of the hiring journey – whether they’re successful or not. Especially within the hiring phase as a candidate is going to vividly remember a bad experience but this only affects the hiring firm, not the recruitment business as that is the last point of contact is the hiring firm, but if you treat them with respect & honesty, they will talk highly and even re-apply again in the future. In 2022, your candidate experience is integral to your brand’s long-term success, as a bad experience can lead to a poor brand image, and could lead to fewer candidates wanting to apply for roles at your company
2: Candidate experience becomes the cornerstone
In 2022, we expect to see an increased focus on all aspects of the candidate experience. Talented candidates know they have multiple options, and they won’t be afraid to say no to an offer if their expectations aren’t met.
So how can you persuade them?
What does a great candidate experience look like? Key aspects include:
Access to information: allows jobseekers to make an informed decision about their personal fit with the role and the organisation.
Seamless technology experience: Application through to onboarding should be easy for job seekers.
Transparent communications: Set expectations, give clear timelines, and show your applicants you appreciate and value their time.
Post-interview feedback: This will show you’re interested in their development for the future –and maybe they can re-apply when a suitable opportunity arises.
3: Attracting candidates by offering remote work
The pandemic drastically accelerated the transition to remote and hybrid work. While this transition has not been smooth, many organizations have found that remote work offers significant benefits to the company and its employees. This discovery gave way to another recruiting trend, a renewed focus on the employee experience.
Specifically, some businesses offer candidates remote working opportunities to entice them to accept a position with the organization. Many professionals prefer working from home as it eliminates the need to commute and helps them pick kids up from school and drop them off.
Implementing this approach has become more important than ever as businesses strive to retain existing talent. It is significantly more cost-effective than hiring new staff, especially considering the ongoing shortage of workers.
Conclusion:
These are current trends that are affecting both recruiters and more specifically hiring managers in 2022. Employer branding becoming a competitive advantage, candidate experience becomes the cornerstone, attracting candidates by offering remote work. They are all as important as each other but they all have the same theme of how you can attract candidates to apply and take jobs with your company; make the process simple, easy, personalised and give feedback because the aim is to form a connection with candidates.
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