Sell the Sizzle—How to Outrecruit Your Competitors
Whoever wins the talent usually wins the market. As we discussed here: Winning the Financial Talent Wars. To grab the best talent to outshine your competition, you need to do more than offer equivalent pay. Here are tips for selling your company to employees and finding the best talent.
Focus on the “candidate experience”:
The “Candidate experience” is a significant priority—now more than ever; at HR conferences and trainings, the phrase is in the air. But anyone with actual recent experience as a job candidate knows that there are plenty of employers still providing a miserable candidate experience: confusing portals, overwhelming forms, repetitive data entry, slow response times, etc. More job seekers are researching jobs on their mobile devices and looking to apply via mobile.
Given what this country currently faces, the use of virtual and mobile has changed the game for many businesses. When push comes to shove, companies realize just how adaptable they can be and its convenience. For employers, the question shouldn’t be “Do we allow for mobile applications?” but “What’s it like to apply for our jobs via mobile devices?” Hint: Executives and hiring managers should pull their phones out and go through the process of applying for one of their open jobs. It might be uncomfortably surprising to see what the process is truly like.
Retention, retention, retention:
You need to think long-term; you want to recruit candidates that you can retain. Companies often develop strategies and offer perks for retaining existing employees — increasing schedule flexibility or adding opportunities for growth — but this consideration isn’t necessarily extended to prospective employees. Instead of focusing exclusively on past experiences and accomplishments during the interview process, try to get a sense of a candidate’s goals, and to start thinking about growth opportunities that will challenge and engage them from the minute they start.
Think about what you currently offer and the benefits that might appeal to a candidate. This doesn’t mean allowing candidates to climb the corporate ladder in mere months, but establishing an early two-way conversation about their future (i.e., remote working, half-day Fridays during specific months, free laundry services/dry cleaning, community work that counts for work hours, etc.) This type of communication will help guard against unexpected departures because an employee feels stifled or capped off for growth potential. You don’t want to give another company the advantage of recruiting your new employee with the promise of career growth that your company could have offered.
A third party may just put your company over the top—for all the right reasons!
A staffing/recruiting firm can be a powerful tool in your arsenal. Experienced staffing firms have developed deep networks of passive candidates that you would not necessarily be able to tap into otherwise. This is an advantage for staffing firms as they not only can source top candidates from more areas, but they’ll be able to do it faster than internal HR staff.
Another plus is that specialized recruiting firms are focused solely on specific industry areas. So, for example, accounting recruiting firms have the knowledge and expertise to find great matches between employers and candidates. A candidate from a specialized recruiting firm often does the job more quickly and accurately than a lower-cost candidate from a general staffing firm.
With a pulse on the type of high-level candidates that are out there, agencies understand what is important to candidates. They can help you meet their needs by working with your businesses to make the necessary adjustments to your hiring practices.
PrideStaff Financial – Accounting Staffing and Recruiting Experts
PrideStaff Financial has consistently won awards for exceptional client satisfaction. Our staffing consultants are here to support your business needs, help guide your hiring practices, and are always available to answer your questions. Contact us today to learn more.
