Every business owner wants to employ skilled, experienced workers as an essential component that leads to business success.
In some industries there is currently a shortage of potential candidates whilst in others, thousands of applicants are received for every opportunity that is advertised. Whilst the quality of applicants is preferable to the quantity, it is still valuable to have a good selection of candidates to pick from. There are ways in which you can prepare a more appealing recruitment campaign in order to improve your chances of attracting the right calibre of applicant.
The Job Description
Firstly, you need to put time and effort into the job description and advert. Don’t just root through the files to find generic recruitment paperwork. Take time to consider the gaps in your workforce and the skills and experience that could be useful for filling the gaps. Prepare a job description that really reflects what you want someone to do. Be specific and prioritise what you need.
Think about the skills, experience and qualifications that are essential. Don’t exclude potentially capable people by including things that aren’t necessary. Accept that few people will have it all, but if you provide on the job training, you can develop skills and expertise in a way which best suits your company. Also recognise that experience in other industries can build transferable skills that could be a real asset.
The Package
The salary is an obvious method for attracting interest, but if there is a lot of competition in your industry, you can’t simply keep increasing the remuneration. Although salary is important, there are many other factors that appeal to potential candidates.
People are looking for ways to improve their lives. This might be through earning a bigger salary or having the status associated with a particular job title. Maybe the job title is a place to start?
They are also attracted to companies which offer good training opportunities and career paths, so they can see that their commitment to the work could help them to progress. Could you provide accredited training or a training allowance for employees to attend industry events? In the long run, you reap the rewards of upskilling your workforce.
Maybe you could offer employees a discount on your goods and services, or even look at teaming up with other companies to extend that offer. This could certainly be more cost effective than installing a work café and gym on your premises. Alternatively you might give employees shares in the business, so they have a degree of ownership and responsibility for its success.
Flexible Working
An increasingly important factor in recruitment is providing the opportunity for flexible working. Flexible working opportunities include compressed hours, where employees might work full time hours over four days. There might be the opportunity to offer reduced hours, or a later start time, which could allow someone to undertake a course of study or better manage childcare or the care of elderly parents.
Flexible working also includes the chance for employees to work from home or a business hub rather than from the workplace. This can be particularly practical if your employees are often out at meetings, exhibitions and other events. The opportunity to work from or near home is highly attractive to many employees. For a start, it can save on the cost and time involved in the daily commute.
Flexible working didn’t use to be a practical option, but technology has significantly reduced the barriers. Cloud storage, Customer Relations Management (CRM) software and VOIP phone services, which can transfer calls to home phones are some of the technology that is making home working a realistic possibility.
To learn more about VOIP phone services, cloud communications and phone maintenance systems visit our website.
Flexi hours are another option, where employees can take time off in lieu of overtime, rather than being paid. This enables people to fulfil other commitments outside of the workplace without dipping into their annual leave, but an extra few days of annual leave can also be an incentive when you are putting together an attractive recruitment package.
Recruitment and Retention
If you put some of these measures in place as a means of attracting new talent, you will also benefit from retaining existing talent. As recruitment is a costly and time consuming process, the long term benefits to your business are clear to see.
