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ATTRACTING THE RIGHT CANDIDATES

Basingstoke

You want to attract the right candidates to apply for your vacancies, so that you have a choice of suitable people to fill vacant roles. But there is a very high rate of employment and the recruitment market has got more and more difficult. You have spent time producing a recruitment strategy and you have up-to-date job descriptions for your roles, so you are all set to start recruiting whenever the need arises. But how can you make sure you attract the right people to apply?

Your online presence
We would find it difficult to operate without the internet in all aspects of our lives these days .  Much of our shopping is done online and we find our life partners, book our holidays, download our entertainment, all online.   We read the news, make appointments, market our products.  It appears that there is no aspect of life which is untouched by the internet.  This includes business, and recruitment.

The first place people go when they are job hunting is the internet.  Firstly – and obviously – we check out what vacancies are out there and find out who is recruiting and how to apply.  But we also do our research about employers online.  This means that employers need to have a strong and compelling presence online to be sure of attracting candidates. They will want to understand who you are and what you do.  They will want to gauge your culture and the treatment you give to your clients and employees.  So your website is a key recruitment tool, as well as a marketing tool.

Employee advocacy
Another key to successful recruitment is your employer reputation.  Your current and previous employees are your best advocates.  You can be sure they will tell the world about you, whether you are good or bad to your employees.  There are websites where people can tell the world which are good employers and who are the ones to avoid (and why).  Your Company may not have featured yet, but you should always remain aware that it could do so.

In any event, employees use social media to tell the world all about their lives and some do not seem to avoid telling the most intimate details.  So you can be sure that they will be praising or destroying you online. They may not even intend to give you bad press, but the wrong impression given can potentially cost you the chance to employ someone who would be an ideal fit.

Social conscience
You may not have given much thought to your company’s social conscience.  If you are only a small venture, then you may not have the resources available to make a big splash in the charitable sector.  I get it – you are busy and spend all your time running your business.  You haven’t got time to get involved in charitable causes as well.

But this is an area where potential employees are more and more likely to judge whether or not they want to work for you.  And as a bonus, your clients are likely to be interested too…

So your online presence probably needs to include some reference to your sustainable credentials, your impact on the environment, or your contribution to the social fabric of society.

Every company, however small, can reduce their water or electricity consumption, save postage stamps and give them to a charity, or have a charity collection box.  If you don’t have anything in place, then you might want to ask your employees for ideas and input and then write an item about it for your website.  But my advice is to make a genuine effort.  Your employees, clients and candidates alike will see through any attempt to pay lip service to having a social conscience.  If you can show that you love the world and want to do your bit (however small) to help improve it, then your employees will love you.  It will also enhance your reputation with your clients.

If you think this article is useful and you would like more advice on recruitment- or any other people-related issue in your business – please join our mailing list, or contact us for further guidance.

Source: https://jmahr.com/