Are your hiring strategies so 2017? Well, they may not be effective come 2018.
If hiring managers want to hit the ground running next year and snag the best talent that the job market has to offer, they have to resist the urge to rehash last year’s strategies and focus on what they’re going to do differently after January 1.
We understand how frustrating this might feel. These days, it seems like the shelf lives of business strategies are never long enough. But if you learn how to adapt quickly now, your agility will pay dividends when your highly qualified new hires take your company to new heights year after fabulous year.
Here are our four top suggestions for where to take recruitment in 2018:
1. ADDRESS YOUR CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE ISSUES
In an age of low unemployment and high skill requirements, how hiring managers interact with candidates – online, over the phone and in person – truly matters, regardless of whether the candidate in question gets the job.
According to a CareerBuilder survey, 44 percent of applicants that received no response from employers they applied to or interviewed with say their opinion of those employers worsened. Eight in 10 say they talked to family and friends about their bad experiences, and 17 percent will take to social media to complain. Talk about bad press!
Don’t sour your good reputation because of a missed opportunity for communication. Correct processes that threaten the ease of your hiring pipeline. If you haven’t already, create an in-house survey that candidates can fill out. There, they have a private forum to vent frustrations about hiring etiquette or confusion around your online application form. Let that be your road map for a better candidate experience.
2. DEVOTE EXTRA RESOURCES TO TECH HIRES
Practically everyone is investing in IT in 2018, according to a recent Spiceworks survey. Only 11 percent of businesses will decrease IT budgets next year. Of the businesses with level or increasing tech budgets, 45 percent plan on hiring more IT professionals. That means two things: The value for IT work will grow in 2018, and it’s now more important than ever for hiring managers to select the right talent the first time.
With that in mind, ask yourself: Do I have the following tasks built into hiring processes for IT talent?
- Discussions with your current IT team: Who knows more about what skills are necessary for your operations?
- Reference checking: Proficiency in tech skills should lead your new-hire decision-making. Are you following up with references thoroughly enough?
- Special interview questions: Typical queries will not suffice. Do you have questions that will test a candidate’s tech knowledge and confirm her experience?
3. REVIEW YOUR VOLUNTARY BENNIES
Perks are an important facet of any compensation package. In markets where competitors vary little on salary offerings, their myriad voluntary benefits act as the differentiators. Depending on what those benefits are, they could also help define company culture. A ten-year-old coffee urn in the company kitchen sends a different message than an ornate cappuccino machine.
But benefits don’t have to be expensive and gaudy to grab the attention of top talent searching for work. Employers should consider new favorites like pet insurance, financial planning consulting and identity theft coverage that help modern-minded professionals find stability and peace of mind outside the office.
4. CONSIDER PARTNERING WITH RECRUITMENT SPECIALISTS
Perhaps the best recruitment strategy fix for 2018 is to partner with a third-party recruitment expert. EBC Associates specializes in contingency, exclusive and retained search services. We work with employers looking for anyone from short-term local talent to their next C-suite leader. Reach out to EBC Associates today for more information.