UK 
United States
2019 has, so far, been the year of uncertainty. With no sign of an immediate Brexit resolution, the UK job market continues to fluctuate and as a result, businesses are having to adapt their recruitment processes to address the ambiguity.
Coupled with a candidate-short market, the hiring process looks very different to what it did 10 years ago. However, not all is lost. I recently spoke to 75 business leaders at a Business Forums International conference, explaining how they could improve their hiring processes in times of uncertainty. Here are my top three tips to attracting the right talent, ensuring ongoing business success.
1. HR, meet marketing
Have you ever collaborated with your marketing team for recruitment? If not, it’s time to set up meeting times – this relationship is set to become one of the most important when it comes to hiring. In order to attract people to your business, you need to make sure your employer branding and messaging is actually attractive to them. Your careers page should be filled with content that promotes your ethos, team and working styles, giving prospective employees a reason to apply. It’s also worth gathering data from your existing workforce through branding and reputation exercises – find out how your employees talk about your brand; how they find working for the business and why they were interested in the organisation in the first place. This can then inform future branding decisions.
2. Communication is key
Should a candidate take the time to apply for your role, it’s essential that you stay connected with them throughout the process. Even if they aren’t right for this particular position, letting them know with a quick email can go a long way. With the rise of Glassdoor, Google reviews and social media, it is very easy for negative chatter to spread, so doing everything you can to make sure candidates have a positive interaction with you is essential.
If you engage a candidate throughout the interview process, it’s vital you stay in touch at every step, providing feedback and information about next steps in a timely manner. If they don’t hear from you, they are likely to become disengaged and explore other options. Even if you have an offer accepted and contract returned, there is still a risk of candidate drop-offs, so it’s worth implementing a process for the time between offer accepted and start date. After all, your communication and engagement with the individual is what can make the difference.
3. Streamline processes
After spending so much on attracting candidates, it’s important to make sure that those investments don’t go to waste at the screening and on-boarding stages. The current market means the best candidates are moving at an incredibly fast pace and companies who don’t respond in a similar way are missing out. Therefore, it’s vital to make sure that your hiring processes are as streamlined as possible and that every party is aware of the steps involved. If the candidate understands the number of interview stages, they are more likely to see it through, while if a line manager understands the urgency of the situation, they are less likely to delay interviewing.
By building a relationship with candidates throughout the hiring process, you’ll be able to maintain engagement and give yourself the best chance of securing your next employee.
Rebecca Siciliano is the Managing Director of Tiger Recruitment. Tiger is B Corp Certified. We are part of a global movement of businesses committed to improving social and environmental conditions around the world.
