It is not a big secret that the market is candidate-driven. It is not the employees who are trying to fit the criteria of a job requirement. It is the employers who are trying to attract candidates by creating a perfect work setting. There are just so many job offers and so few qualified experts.
The situation is getting even more heated, with millennials taking over the market. Over 35% of millennials are working now. This number will naturally rise as boomers go to retirement, and more fresh blood comes into the market.
Millennials do make great employees. For instance, they are incredibly motivated digital natives, and they understand consumers' behavior by being active consumers themselves. At the same time, they will not take a job out of desperation. That is why they are known for reshaping the whole recruitment and company policies.
In this article, we will get a closer look at the 5 latest recruitment trends that will help you get the best employees out there.
1. Develop a strong employer brand
According to LinkedIn, 75% of employees research a brand before they even send their application. They consider brand values, company culture, reviews from previous employees, and the company's media image before accepting a position.
Newer generations are likely to look up if the brand is inclusive, eco-friendly, or socially engaged. Shared values mean the feeling of fitting in. If a company stands for the environment, employees feel like they are a part of the change. Also, brand values define the workplace itself. For example, women are less likely to choose brands known for underestimating women or paying them less.
2. Research the market
Companies take their time to observe what employers in their industry do to attract candidates so they can get inspiration from the best practices.
They make an effort to find out how the most successful competitors manage to get the best employees. What do they offer when they post an open position?
Remember the time when you were an employee. Look through competitors' job offers and try to look at them from the candidate's perspective. What would you want this workplace to have? What will make you want to apply? What can you add to make this company your number one choice? Look at the vacancies that you post, and you will see how to make your business stand out.
Check out our article on 12 recruitment methods you need to know about
3. Make the application process easy
HRs might think that if applicants are too lazy to fill out the form, they are not motivated enough to work for their company.
Once again, imagine that you are a candidate again. You spend lots of time filling out the application forms for the companies that may not give you any feedback. With time, you are likely to get tired of doing so.
To ease the application process, companies typically skip personal and contact information, including age, gender identity, and address. By intentionally missing out this info, you can eliminate the chance of confirmation bias or other unconscious biases taking place. Also, many companies are moving towards simplifying motivation letters for their to-be employees. After all, a candidate does not have to be a pro essay writer to become a web developer, right?
If there are five pages with unnecessary questions, an applicant will stop midway or not even try. So there is a trend of simplifying the application process as much as one can while still getting the most necessary information.
4. Offer flexible working conditions
Now that people work from home at any time they feel the most productive, they know that coming to the office at 9 am is not necessary to show great results. Therefore, they are looking for job offers where they can do the most in their productive hours.
Flexibility not only attracts more candidates but can also increase your profit since employees are more productive and less grumpy.
Additional reading: 20 benefits candidates look for over salary growth
5. Guarantee a positive candidate experience
Did a company make it easy for me to go through the application? Was the interviewer nice and respectful towards their employees and me? Was a secretary helpful? Did they send me any feedback or ghosted me after promising to call back?
If an employer managed to gain their trust and did not get the job, they could still have a positive image of the company. Consequently, they may apply again.
Conclusion
The main objectives are to create a positive image of your brand and be thoughtful towards your candidates. By thoughtful, we mean that it is good to look at things from their perspective. It will give you a glimpse into what will work best for attracting talented candidates.
Check out these 7 recruiting trends for 2021
