It’s a Candidates’ Market! How More Job Openings Impact Employers’ Recruiting Efforts

The economy is finally picking up and as businesses are starting to expand, they’re also starting to hire more employees. According to the Pew Research Center, since the recession’s end, fewer Americans are unemployed and there are more job openings. This is good news for skilled workers. The job market has shifted in their favor, and they are taking advantage of the high demand for top talent. But for employers, this means it will become even harder to attract and hire qualified candidates. There are three ways employers can improve their process in order to attract and hire these top candidates.

Culture Has to Shine

It’s not enough to just tell job seekers about your great culture, they want to be able to see it for themselves. In Jobvite’s 2015 Job Seeker Nation study, younger, highly educated people use a variety of networks to research a company’s culture, but Facebook is the top choice at 18%. And, the more money a person makes, the more culture matters to them.

In order to attract these successful employees, your company culture needs to be present on all social media sites, job descriptions and on the company website. Encourage your employees to promote your company culture by posting to their personal social networks, especially on LinkedIn. Take pictures at company outings or functions and display them on social media and your website. Job seekers are researching companies specifically to find out about their culture, and you don’t want them to find a Facebook page that hasn’t been updated in months.

Work More Closely With Candidates

I can’t tell you how many times in the past few months that we’ve heard the same story from employers. They think they’ve found their perfect candidate and make them an offer, only to have them decline and accept a position at a different company. Candidates know they have more options now, and if they have any hesitations about the company or positions, then they’re not afraid to look somewhere else.

At Naviga, we have incorporated many strategic steps into our process to prevent the situation I just described. Our recruiters use a combination of daily reach outs, direct questions and evaluation techniques to help make sure the candidate is engaged throughout the process and will accept the position if they’re offered. You can find out more about these techniques in the article 4 Tips to Closing Top Candidates and Avoiding Offer Declines.

Seamless Hiring Process

As I mentioned above, job seekers have many options and will often interview for multiple companies at once. During this time, they are constantly assessing an employer’s behavior and deciding if they would be a fit for the company. A slow hiring process that takes weeks just to coordinate a first interview, for example, might indicate to a candidate that the company is disorganized and moves slowly in all parts of their business. On the other hand, a company who moves a candidate quickly through the hiring process and constantly keeps them updated about next steps, is more likely to be perceived as fast paced, and a more desirable company to work for. Our Employer Interview Guide provides some tips on how to quickly move candidates through the hiring process by using a team of interviewers and keeping things organized.

As the job market continues to improve for candidates, employers need to be aware of new ways they can attract top talent and better processes to help hire them. If you want more information about how Naviga can help you find top talent, please Contact Us today!