The most common recruiting challenges and how to overcome them
Here are the eight most common recruitment challenges we hear about, as well as suggestions for overcoming them to make recruiting more effective:
Attracting the right candidates
If you have ever tried to find the ideal candidate among a pool of unqualified people, you realise how restricted your options are. You will hire the best person you can find at the time, not necessarily the greatest candidate for the job. The ideal method to hire the right people is to draw from a smaller pool of more qualified candidates.
Tip: Be specific about the requirements and provide a concise overview of the role in your job ads. To immediately address your key concerns, use an application form with “knock-out” questions. Do you, for example, require someone with a clean driving licence? Ask candidates if they have one, including a yes/no question. It’s a quick way to eliminate candidates who are not a good fit for the job.
Engaging qualified candidates
Recruiters contact good candidates regularly, making it more difficult for your email to stand out. Furthermore, individuals with hard-to-find skills frequently explore other job offers at the same time. Therefore, you must work hard in persuading passive candidates to choose your company over others.
Tip: Research what inspires and makes a passive candidate happy in their job before contacting them. With this information, you can tailor your sourcing emails to focus on what you can provide them.
Fast Hiring
Hiring teams aim to fill vacancies as quickly as possible because vacant positions cost money and cause delays in operations. Moreover, making a hire can take months, putting pressure on recruiters and frustrating hiring teams. A shortage of qualified candidates can take a long time to hire. The hiring process may take a long time, or hiring teams may be unable to reach an agreement, causing the best candidates to seek employment elsewhere.
Tip 1: Examine your hiring process and ask yourself if all of the stages are required? Are we searching in the appropriate places for candidates to fill our vacancies? Do we communicate with candidates and each other quickly?
Tip 2: When hiring for hard-to-fill positions, it’s normal to take a long time to hire. Explain this to the hiring teams and set expectations from the start. Let them know what a reasonable deadline is, and emphasise the importance of hiring carefully for roles where a poor hire could cost a lot of money.
Recruiting with the use of data
Companies may use recruitment data and metrics to improve their hiring process and make better selections. However, gathering and analysing data can take a long time. One way to keep track of hiring data is to use spreadsheets, but they require manual work, prone to human error. Hiring teams look for strategies to compile and organise data in an efficient and streamlined way.
Tip: You can use ATS, Google Analytics, or recruitment marketing software to store data and export useful reports. You don’t have to track every single recruiting metric out there. Discuss with the senior management team to decide on a few meaningful metrics for you and your company.
Building a powerful employer brand
You can attract and recruit better candidates with a strong employer brand. It assists a company in making quality recruitment selections. However, it’s a long process that includes everything from guaranteeing a positive candidate experience to publicising your company’s culture on social media. It’s a constant, collaborative effort that requires you to take time away from your day-to-day responsibilities and get buy-in from your co-workers.
Tip:
- Always respond politely to good and bad online reviews.
- Allow your co-workers to express their stories about their work and hobbies (for example, through blogs and videos).
- Essentially be a good employer, and it will reflect on you.
Providing a positive candidate experience
Candidate experience is a vital factor when the best candidates are considering your job offers. The way you treat candidates during the recruitment selection reflects how you’ll treat them after hiring. They are less likely to accept if they’ve experienced a bad encounter. On the other hand, positive candidate experiences can boost your employer brand and inspire qualified candidates to apply for the job and accept your job offers.
Tip 1: During the recruitment process, don’t leave them in the dark. Set communication expectations: tell candidates when they can hear from you, and if you’re using an applicant tracking system (ATS), set reminders and use email templates to keep your word.
Tip 2: Work well with the candidates. If you’re expecting an in-person interview, make sure you’ve given the candidate all the information they need. Inform who they should ask for and what to bring with them. Notify reception and don’t make them wait in the lobby.
Fairly Recruiting
Many businesses struggle to attract and hire diverse employees because of unconscious biases. Objective hiring ensures that every job candidate who applies has an equal opportunity. It is good for business since it allows you to hire the most qualified candidate for the job without prejudice. As a result, your organisation will be more inclusive, demonstrating to potential candidates that you are fair while also benefiting from diversity.
Tip: Use objective hiring techniques such as organised interviews and ‘blind’ hiring software such as GapJumpers.
Creating an efficient recruiting process
Hiring teams must be able to communicate quickly, evaluate candidates rapidly, and stay informed at all times. Recruiters are in charge of coordinating all of this communication, which isn’t always easy, especially when there is a weak relationship between recruiters and hiring managers. Administrative tasks such as arranging interviews often take time away from recruiters to coordinate the hiring process and ensure a positive candidate experience.
Tip: Consider investing in an applicant tracking system (ATS) that allows your team to coordinate and track the hiring process. This technique will allow your team to leave feedback and view each other’s responses. It will also make some administrative duties easier with built-in email templates, calendar integrations, and other features.