In today’s jobs market, how to attract the right type of applicants to your vacancies is a puzzle faced by many employers. If qualified candidates are dismissing your job posts, you’re probably making one (or more) of the following six mistakes:-
You’ve not researched your sector : The Association Of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) reports that recruitment agencies have seen a 1% increase in vacancies in the last 12 months. The sector most affected is finance and accounting, which saw a rise in open jobs of 10.2%. Vacancies in the engineering sector fell by 14% over the same period. Awareness of current trends will help to guide your final 'pitch'. Competition for qualified candidates in certain sectors will be fierce so your employer brand needs to be close to flawless and your job post must focus on why talent should apply for your jobs.
Your job posts are confusing : Take an objective look at your worst performing job adverts. Have you made the requirements of your vacancy clear? Do you understand them? Do they make sense to employees within your business? Be critical about what you are asking for. Your inability to attract talent may be as simple as a confusing job post which tells job seekers absolutely nothing about your company.
You rely on LinkedIn too much : LinkedIn is a proven source of applicants but if you’re failing to explore other social media sites or job boards you’re probably missing out on elusive talent. Employers and recruiters are tapping into the potential of sites like Snapchat and Tinder to source candidates with in-demand skills. For more traditional social recruitment, Twitter recently revealed that a third of its members have tweeted, retweeted or shared a job post on the platform. 42% of users also follow companies to learn more about potential vacancies and 80% read professional or career related posts. Check your recruitment analytics for your most successful source of new hires and be prepared to look beyond your traditional talent pools.
You disregard salary trends : Emolument’s latest salary review identifies the 12 jobs in the UK with the highest salary increases in the last year. The most significant – up to 37% - came in jobs such as digital marketing, HR and tech. Your salary must be competitive, or reasons to work with your company compelling (positive employer brand, career development opportunities, flexible working) in order to attract the right people to your jobs. For details of the 12 jobs with the highest salary increases in the past twelve months click here.
You don’t consider contract workers : The gig economy is impacting the availability of permanent candidates, with demand for temporary and contract vacancies on the rise. The largest increase of 29.2% came in the finance and accounting sector. If your industry is affected by a skills shortage, offer a contract position as an additional option to attract more qualified candidates.
You demand too much information : Insisting on every candidate completing a detailed job application will result in the loss of high achievers who don’t have the time to update CVs or complete unnecessary forms. Keep the information required to a minimum and allow candidates to register their interest in your vacancy or apply with their LinkedIn profile.
Got a vacancy to fill? peepl provides a free services to help you find the candidates with the skills that are vital to your business. All you need to do is submit your job title to us. If you have a job description you can include that, or we can work with you to create the perfect job spec to attract qualified candidates to your company.
You might also like to read:-
The Changing Job Search : How To Attract More Candidates To Your Vacancies
Before You Hire The Perfect Candidate, Make Sure They Are!
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