Candidates under your nose?

Brexit, the pandemic, and the Great Resignation have created some of the most challenging conditions for recruitment that anyone can remember. And while recruitment difficulty usually varies depending on role, level, industry and location, right now business are being hit across the board. Many positions remain unfilled for months. 

But there are a few things you can do to make your business stand out from the crowd.

The passive candidate market

Remember when you used to have multiple, quality candidates applying for the same role and it was hard to choose who to hire? Assuming they had a good experience, those unsuccessful candidates offer your organisation an engaged talent pool that you can tap back into when a a new opportunity arises. 

Building a database of prospective candidates that you can stay connected with will make it easy to plan ahead and provide a passive candidate market to approach for your next available role. 

Build you own talent pools

There are plenty of people interested in your organisation. They might have previously applied for roles with you or simply follow your brand online. There is already something they like which is a good starting point. If you can keep them engaging, you've got a pool of candidates you're awakening right under your nose. 

Someone might not have been ready last time you were looking, but if they've continued to engage, they might be ready this time. 

The key is ensuring you nurture these contacts so they keep a positive impression. Simply saving their details in a folder is not enough, as chances are when you contact them 6-12 months after their interview, application or last conversation, there's a good chance they won't be interested. 

Manage your expectations

Every organisation is looking for 10 out of 10 candidates, but it's rare that someone ticks all the boxes - especially now! This leaves a couple of options: either you don't fill the vacancy, or you have to make a compromise. And making a compromise can seem risky as you need to ensure someone is capable and not just filling an empty seat. 

Some of the most high performing employees can come from the middle of the road candidates. The key is setting expectations, seeing potential, and producing a development plan to ensure the candidate can progress to the right level if they're not a 100% fit. The phrase "Hire for attitude, train for skills" is key here, as the right personality can go a long way. 

Learning and development is a motivator

A lot of people rate learning and development opportunities as highly as salary. Showing that your organisation offers plenty of learning, training and professional development opportunities will help you appeal to candidates. 

Of course, recruitment needs to be as fast and streamlined as possible in order to keep candidates interested and avoid losing them to the competition. Ensure you're using the right HR and recruitment solutions to consistently maintain a good experience. 

Need a helping hand? At MHR we're happy to discuss how our recruitment solutions can help you.