As the world begins to recover from the COVID-19 closures of the past year, many businesses are still finding it difficult to get back on their feet. One major obstacle is the unexpected labor shortage.
Businesses have to change the way they hire to attract more candidates who like the benefits of work-from-home roles. Jobs that were once easy to fill or had historically low wages (i.e., service sector jobs in restaurants, retail, hospitality, etc.) now face a reluctant applicant pool.
The reasons for these changes are more nuanced than candidates “not wanting to work.” Instead, many of these decisions come from wanting more stable wages, a safer work environment, competing priorities as kids are still not fully back to school, and more.
In this guide, we have partnered with our preferred vendor CareerPlug to advise on some best-practice strategies to increase your applicant pool.
CareerPlug previously published content for this blog on their website.
The Approaches
Advertise Compensation
Candidates would rather hear about compensation earlier in the job process, a 2020 CareerPlug study showed. With more jobs hiring lately, candidates are searching for information that allows them to be more selective. They won’t be interested in putting their time into a position to discover later it doesn’t align with their goals.
By being upfront and stating your compensation, candidates would be more likely to apply to a position without feeling like they might be wasting their time.
Consider a Signing Bonus
If your objective is to make your job posting stand out from competitors — and it should be — then offering a cash signing bonus is a great recruiting tactic. This will be a new strategy for many employers in 2021, but it is an excellent way to stand out from the crowd
In the past, many companies have used an employee referral program to recruit high-quality candidates while incentivizing your current employees with a cash bonus. While this is still a great approach, it is important to consider offering a bonus to the applicants themselves in this new job market.
When factoring in the time spent recruiting and marketing costs to advertise the position, it might be worth diverting some of your budget to a bonus instead.
Lead with Company Culture
After 2020, many job seekers are searching for a work environment where they feel valued and protected. Leading with your company’s culture through employee testimonials or photos and videos of your workplace and team can help generate more applicants.
Walk the Talk
It’s hard to lead with a great company culture if the proof isn’t in the pudding. More than half of job seekers abandon their pursuit of a job after reading negative reviews about a company on employer review sites like Glassdoor and Indeed.
Your number one recruiting strategy should be retention. Start by looking internally to see how your current employees view your company and how they fit within your company’s core values.
Learn more about each of these approaches with CareerPlug at careerplug.com/blog/change-the-way-you-hire-in-2021.
Disclaimer: This content was provided in partnership with CareerPlug. It does not necessarily represent products or services accessible through BuyMax. To learn more about CareerPlug and its services, visit careerplug.com.
