One of the things that my Clients, and others that I’m talking to, have in common is Recruitment challenges.
The challenges come in all shapes and sizes, so I thought it would be useful to share just a few of them:
- Where to advertise.
- How to ensure candidates don’t ghost.
- Finding real talent.
- Avoiding the dreaded counter-offer.
So in this article, I’m sharing some things that will help you – from over 20-years experience recruiting for all types of roles, industries and sectors, from entry level to c-suite.
So, you have a vacancy… But you have a limited budget…. What do you do? Here are my tips on where to start. Please note: I’m not guaranteeing that you find your star hire, but it will give you a good shout at it!
The Advert
Before you even think about where to post your vacancy, you need to get your copy right.
Don’t post a bland job advert.
Instead, try to speak to your ideal candidate.
Talk in their language and use keywords.
At the top of the ad’ put the main details – job title, hours, location (or if offer hybrid working), salary (PLEASE at least include a salary bracket) and if you offer some awesome benefits, include them in the advert!
And in the advert, talk about the role, really bring it to life so the job-seeker (or passive job-looker) really gets an idea about what they’ll be doing day to day.
Follow this up by describing the type of person you are looking for – their skills, experience, knowledge, behaviours, qualifications etc. Give your ideal candidate a name if that helps.
The purpose of these 2 sections is to help readers to either screen themselves out, or screen themselves in PLUS be excited enough about the opportunity to actually apply.
Closing dates are an interesting one – you can use them but with such a fast-moving candidate market right now, I’d say that you will review and Interview as you go. But make this known, so interested candidates will apply quickly, that way you don’t risk losing great talent!
Some Businesses will publicise the selection process – I’m not 100% sure it matters. This one is up to you!
So now to where to post the advert. The starting point is your budget..
Where to Advertise
If budget is no option, you can engage an Agency to get them to do the leg-work.
Note this is NOT an easy option. An Agency is an extension of your business, so you will need to invest the time into briefing them fully. Give them access to key people. Allow them to immerse themselves in your business and culture. Time invested at the start of the relationship will pay dividends when they assist you with recruiting.
Got a small budget? This is where the Job-boards can come in handy.
Your Indeed, CV Library, Monster, Fish4Jobs, Reed, Totaljobs, LinkedIn, CV Wow, Jobsite.
(There are other Job Boards plus specialist ones).
Having to recruit on a shoe-string? Here are your go to places:
Your Company Website – sure you can simply post and advert, and / or have a Careers Landing Page.
For little cost you can make it all zing though – include sections on your Values, Benefits, What It’s Like to Work With You, A Day in the Life, L&D opportunities, Reward & Recognition options…
And bring it to life with photo’s and videos.
Share stories of internal promotions. Shout about your CSR, Environmental, and Sustainability credentials.
In short, it’s about bringing your Business to life in a few clicks. You’ve got one shot at grabbing their attention!
Social Media
You should also use your Social Media channels – incorporating as much of the above as possible.
You can do a post on your or your Company LinkedIn page – but make sure the advert is snappy and include a gripping CTA!
Remember, whether it be on Facebook or LinkedIn, there are groups whereby you ca post your advert – many of them local or Industry specific.
Of course for a few £ you can advertise on Facebook, LinkedIn, Indeed or the like – the trick is to not spend too much, maybe average £4/5 per day – and only do short sharp spurts, eg 3 days, remove for a few days then post again if you need to which will pin it nearer to the top of searches.
Indeed & Glassdoor have the facility for Company Pages – at no cost – so make sure that you see them! People can also leave reviews that you can answer. Nowadays job-hunters will look at things like this to do their due diligence ahead of applying for a role, so my advice is to make them count!
Of course, you can mix and match the above, depending on your budget.
Employer branding and candidate experience are king, it’s no longer about placing an advert and waiting for the applications to flow in.
Once you’ve (swiftly) taken candidates through a (speedy and relevant) selection / assessment process, be sure to reply to EVERY applicant – whether shortlisted / interviewed or not.
Remember – they are also potential users / customers.
I’ll do a separate Blog / Article on Assessment / Selection and Onboarding, but remember once you have made an offer, you need to keep the individual interested until the day they join and beyond.
Follow a soft-touch pre-join process…
Have a great Induction / Onboarding experience. But as I said, more to follow on this!
And one final point: for my clients, I can offer an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) which will make your employer branding, candidate attraction and experience, recruitment and selection process so much easier – give me a shout and we can explore!
(I’ll also be sharing tips on how to combat Counter-offers soon – so watch this space!)
Until next time…
Sam @MGLHR
