Tips for Hiring in a Constrained Job Market

Are you hiring? With more job openings than ever, competition for your next hire is tight. As the year wraps up, companies are eager to fill open roles. Meanwhile, employees that were holding out on finding a new job last year have been leaving companies, contributing to the "Great Resignation".

All of these market conditions leave companies struggling to fill open headcount. Companies are focused on employee retention and recruiting now more than ever.

If you're trying to hire, here are a few tips to attracting the best talent:

After a year of working at home, thousands of employees want to retain the flexibility that comes with working remotely. Employees are used to working at home, and have a hard time leaving that behind. Prospective candidates, especially in technology or with a niche skillset, often abruptly end interviews when they find out the position is in the office. 

Research shows more than half of job seekers prioritize remote work as their first priority. While many are excited to return to the office, offering remote or hybrid work will attract and retain the workforce.

Recruiting and hiring is a time-consuming process. Companies are eager to hire, but with busy schedules it's hard to coordinate. Prior to hiring, clearly define who will be involved in the hiring process, and what their roles are. By doing so, it will make the workflow and process crystal clear and easy for everyone involved to understand. Next, determine who is in charge of owning the communication and advancement of candidates through the hiring process. Lastly, having all team members committed to the process is key. By being actively involved in quickly moving the candidate through the interview process, you will make it a better experience for the candidate as well as beat other companies to making the candidate an offer. If you are working with a professional recruiter, they will often optimize your workflow and process, and push to keep things moving quickly. 

It's easy to dismiss what makes your company or hiring manger great. Candidates often ask recruiters about the prospective company they're going to work for. They want to know what makes a company a great place to work. They also want to know what kind of manager they'll have, and what the department is like. When you interview a candidate, sell yourself, the company, and the vision to help the candidates in their decision-making process.

These tips are a great starting point on how to optimize your hiring process. Work with your leaders and HR department for other areas to create other areas to improve. While technical talent is in high demand these days, your next hire is just around the corner.

If you want help hiring or have questions about other ways to update your process, contact us, we can help!