If You’re Hiring New Staff, Apply Yourself...
Remember the easy ride? Recruiters do. Place advert, await deluge. That’s over, replaced by a more balanced distribution of power between applicant and hirer.
Take my specialism: engineering. Employers now need to convince candidates why they should apply for their jobs over others. Businesses must now market themselves to potential employees, avoiding the most common obstacles to recruitment success:
Unclear job descriptions
Too many job adverts are vague or confusing. Instead of trying to create an air of mystery or a sense of importance, this discourages candidates from applying – after all, if they can’t understand the job description surely they’re not suitable for the role? A job description and associated job title should convey what the role entails in a concise and clear manner. Be sure that any mandatory requirements are just that. If a candidate was perfect in every other way except they have four instead of five years’ experience, would you still consider them?
Missing key job information
While we all desire a job we love, the reality of bills and mortgages brings money to the top of job seekers’ priorities. What could be considered as a ‘competitive salary’ to one person may differ wildly to another. If the salary is negotiable, include a bracket to give some kind of guidance rather than risk dissuading candidates.
Lack of research
What’s more annoying than an unprepared candidate? An unprepared recruiter. It is all too common for recruiters to contact candidates with job opportunities that are completely irrelevant to their experience. This can be avoided by taking a few minutes to read the CV, application form and covering letter – it will also save you time and money by minimising wasted calls.
No feedback
If it’s frustrating when you don’t hear back from an applicant, it’s even worse if you’re a candidate and don’t receive any feedback from an interview. When someone has taken the time to research your company and prepare for your interview but then didn’t get the job, a quick courtesy call or email to let them know the decision is an absolute must for recruiters. Job seekers talk. A candidate who is unsuccessful could easily vent their frustration to your ideal candidate. The recruiters that don’t get back to candidates are simply jeopardising their brand so it’s worth the two-minute investment.
Photo (cc) Isabisa
