With autumn approaching and many businesses eagerly looking to get back to full speed, we often see this as wide-spread employee and talent reset of sorts. While some employees have postponed their job searches to enjoy the summer months, now is the time that many jobseekers re-engage with the open market. Adding to that, many employers spend the summer months reviewing their workforces and preparing for strategic hires to close out 2023.
While much of the job data that is available paints a partial picture about the employment market, one thing is certain – autumn is always an action-packed season for workforce movement.
“Our experience working with hundreds of companies has taught us a critical lesson for a successful hiring season during the fall months – having a plan for hiring in your organization and being prepared to hire in your organization are not the same thing.”
– Paresh Mistry, Managing Director, LYNX Recruitment
To realize the results of your recruitment efforts, keep in mind these important points so that you don’t close the year out with empty positions in your company.
Streamline the Application and Interview Process
With top-quality candidates still hard to find, removing barriers in your application and interview processes is critical. Many candidates, especially candidates that are employed and content, won’t even engage in a process if they perceive that the hurdles aren’t worth the hassle. To avoid missing out on the strongest candidates, ensure that your process is straightforward and well-articulated in your job posting or email outreach. Simple is better; trust your ability to evaluate talent without the need for 4 interview rounds, assessments and months between introduction and decision.
Engage Passive Candidates
While diamonds do exist in the rough, they’re more often accessible from competitors or similar industries. The reality is, that by dealing with only applicants, the quality won’t truly represent the best of what the labour market can provide. The most successful strategy for recruiting high-performers is to engage passive candidates – candidates who are actively performing at similar companies, in similar roles. This approach, blended with reviewing top applicants, will give you a better representation of what the labour market can offer.
Think Ahead to be Prepared
There’s an old saying that time kills all deals, and this adage holds true in today’s labour market. Employers must accept and embrace the fact that candidates want to move quickly when they’re involved in a recruiting process. By removing time delays in the decision-making process, you can avoid losing the interest of preferred candidates. Think ahead and have your offer letters ready, an internal decision hierarchy established, and a realistic understanding of the desired start-date for your new hire.
Understand the market and be flexible – no perfect candidates, take feedback from market
Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind when recruiting new talent is that there’s no such thing as a perfect candidate (nor a perfect role or perfect company either). Adjusting expectations as you meet candidates is critical to achieving results.
Understanding how to complement your current workforce, and how your current workforce can complement new hires’ skills will allow you to move forward and grow. We’ve seen, time and time again, that organizations that hold out for perfection, often struggle the most with filling vacancies. Internal training, integration programs and experience are all key factors that must be emphasized as much as the recruiting process in order to strengthen your team and grow your business.
Want to learn more about our recruitment services, visit our services page.
To talk to one of our recruitment leads please send us an email to [email protected]
For executive-level hires, please visit Keynote Search for more information.