In the second half of 2021, more than 20 million Americans quit their jobs; the Great Resignation hit the job market like a hurricane. All of a sudden, companies that never worried about filling positions or staffing shifts found themselves struggling to keep up with changing circumstances. As of March 2022, there were 11.3 million job openings, 5 million more than the amount of unemployed Americans at the time.
Why a Streamlined Hiring Process is Important
A surplus of jobs means it’s a candidate’s market. It is not jobs that are in demand, but candidates. If companies make the mistake of fundamentally misreading this job market, they’ll rely on an outdated hiring process, fail to reduce their time to hire, and miss out on the best candidates.
That’s the last thing you want. So, it’s important to have an updated, streamlined hiring process in order to put your best foot forward. Reducing time to hire is essential to grab the best candidates and increase retention.
It’s a Candidate’s Market–Show Them You Value Them
Seeing the candidate pool grow as it has, too many hiring managers may think they have all the time in the world. They assume that most candidates out there are desperate for a job, waiting with bated breath for a callback, an interview, or an offer.
But, the truth is quite the opposite. Again, it’s a candidate’s market. Candidates want jobs, but they don’t want just any job. They don’t just want to work for any company.
How to Show Candidates You Value Them
Time is money not just for hiring managers, but also for candidates. They are tired of cumbersome and drawn-out hiring processes that don’t honor their time. It is definitely a candidate’s market, so if you’re a hiring manager, you have to make sure you honor candidates’ time and show them how much you value them.
One way to honor candidates’ time is to use assessments in your hiring process to not only speed things up but to put you in the best position to attract the right candidates. Competency-based assessments help separate the wheat from the chaff, and make sure candidates align with what is required for success in the role. This reduces your time to hire, so you can fill positions with people who will stay the course.
How to Sell Your Company to Candidates
To be sure, candidates can’t just assume that companies that are desperate to fill positions will hire anyone who comes along; they still have to prove they have what it takes, and sell themselves. What has changed is that companies now have to sell themselves to the best candidates, too! The Great Resignation has become an equalizer of sorts.
How can you sell your company to the best candidates? You can do it by highlighting your company’s excellent culture, especially with a streamlined hiring process that reduces the overall time to hire. You have to make candidates feel that their time is being honored and valued; this will go a long way towards making a good impression. This is a real selling point these days.
Try working your company culture into your hiring process by including behavior-based role-playing to see how the candidate would respond in a given situation, pertinent to that role. Then, after role-playing, provide feedback to candidates on how they handled the situation. With this, candidates can see how you function as a company and team, and how they could fit in, succeed, and more importantly, GROW with you.
Be On Top of Your Correspondence
According to The Talent Board, “Candidates who were interviewed and then given job-related feedback by end of that same day said they were 52 percent more likely to increase their relationship with the employer (apply again, refer others, make purchases if and when applicable).” So, another way to make a strong, good impression on candidates is through excellent communication.
Sure, we live in such a fast-paced and busy environment, and work is no exception. However, never be too busy to respond to questions, and provide timely responses and feedback to your candidate pool. This demonstrates your care for their time, which helps them see your company as one they can envision themselves working for.
Provide Value Beyond a Salary
If you want to be a candidate’s company of choice, show them you are invested in their growth and success. Companies that offer continuing education, developmental assistance, and mentorship programs certainly have a leg up on the competition.
Whatever you ultimately do, one thing is clear: You must provide genuine value for candidates – beyond the job and salary. Demonstrate to the best candidates that they can really grow beyond the job, that they are valued both as people and representatives of your company. Show that yours is a company dedicated to helping its people thrive.
Reduce Your Time to Hire with Reveal
Reducing your time to hire with Reveal’s competency-based pre-hire assessments shows candidates that yours is a company in tune with the times. Let the competition languish in the past; embrace the future, roll with the candidate’s market, and let assessments be your guide. To see how Reveal can help you reduce the time to hire it takes to get the right people in the right seats, and keep them there, get in touch today.