If you’re a recruiter, it’s no secret that you’re always scouting for the best in class people to fill your open roles. What I’m about to say is that candidate qualifications vary tremendously depending on the industry, as well as other factors. While the pandemic has solved one thing - making jobs accessible from all over the globe, others are still to follow. There still are pay gaps large enough and stereotypes that we are yet to break down, but we’ve definitely made a huge step forward in democratizing workforce and making jobs accessible.
The more we’re shifting towards a global workforce, the better companies have to advertise their jobs in a competitive market, where differentiators are almost unanimously people-centric.
So let’s go through the two most common issues HR professionals experience in finding the best talent available:
Probably the most important one is the very competitive landscape
Especially if you’re working in tech or IT or even complementary industries to these ones, you’ll know that the increase in offer and the finite demand are the source of all evils. Aside from salary and work benefits which very often come with the job in these fields, one thing companies can do is be bluntly honest about their values and the way they see collaboration.
This is the only path to success if you’re looking to recruit long-term candidates who become and integrating part of your team, who share your values, your objectives and whose career paths can only be amplified through your collaboration.
What the current global situation has changed is that these cliche things that companies should generally offer have suddenly become real, meaningful and decision makers. Both millennials and GenZ know what they’re looking for, are incredibly motivated and career oriented and the best practice for a company is to market themselves as what they are. In my opinion, this honesty exercise is exactly what it means to put candidates first.
Of course companies benefit from this relationship as well - investing in new candidates is an expensive internal process and businesses have started to understand the true value of attracting the right talent. But mainly the process is oriented towards candidates and towards building a climate of trust and a valuable partnership.
Building a strong pipeline of quality talent is increasingly demanding
This one’s equally tricky. Generally, building a pipeline requires a thorough understanding of the business environment you’re operating from, but also an in-depth analysis of what talent looks for. Most of the professionals who are career-driven have understood that a work-life balance, for instance, is crucial for long-term productivity and for mental health.
Paying attention to these profoundly humane aspects is crucial, as it shows that you’re truly interested in the wellbeing of your team. It’s no longer an assumption, happier employees are more productive in the workplace, and it’s in the benefit of companies to build an ecosystem that’s friendly and easy to follow in the long run.
However, communicating in a very transparent way what the company's internal policies, perks and career paths are makes for better quality when it comes to talent attraction from the beginning of the recruitment process.
One very frequent mistake that companies make is to communicate all these benefits during the recruitment process, when candidates have very legitimate questions about the day to day workplace atmosphere. But moving this type of communication at the beginning of the process shows thoughtfulness and respect for candidates’ time. This way, employers can be more mindful with professionals they’re currently screening, by making sure their priorities align.
Still curious how you can attract better talent from day one? See how we can help.
