and your (insert job title here!) remains open.
You’re left wondering, “why? I thought this was an employer’s market?”
Well, here's a stab in the dark, but more often that not, it's one, or more, of the following....
➡️The advert you posted isn’t an advert, it’s a job spec. It focuses too much on “what we want” and not enough on “what we can offer and why you should join us”. Mitch Sullivan articulates this better than anyone when referring to most job specs reading like a list of demands or even a ransom note.
I’ve seen some of the most brilliant challenger brands, with an amazing story and 100’s of reasons why someone should wish to join them, revert to corporate HR speak when advertising vacancies.
People want to know “What’s in it for me?” Make sure you tell them!
➡️Your response time is too slow, allowing other employers to get the jump on you when it comes to the best candidates.
➡️Perhaps you didn’t respond at all? I get it. You’ve had 300 applicants and you feel like you can’t go back to everyone, after all you’ve got your day job to do too.
You have to get back to everyone though. If you have not done so previously, then good applicants for future roles will be more hesitant to apply. Put the time in to protect your brand’s reputation.
➡️You are not offering a good enough package for the skill set you are asking for.
I see this A LOT. See my previous post on salary guides.
➡️A great advert alone is not always enough. You may need to approach people directly, especially if the role is somewhat niche. Again, like with the advert, how you reach out to people is key here. Don’t make it all about you.
➡️Too many interview stages. 2-3 should be sufficient for almost all roles. Beyond this you begin to appear indecisive and that is never a good look.
➡️Too long between interview stages. Again, indecisive. People will go elsewhere, where they’ll feel more wanted, because filling the position is a priority.
➡️Your internal comms are lacking. Something I see a lot is the same questions being repeated by different interviewers at different stages. Make sure that each stage is advancing the conversation.
➡️You are not feeding back promptly (and sometimes not at all). This is a massive bug bear for candidates.
➡️Too long to get your offer out, or even worse, it’s a low ball offer. Once you have decided on the right person get a suitable offer out swiftly. Make the offer verbally and then follow up in writing.
Despite the very best of intentions, it’s easy to underestimate the time and resource that is often required to manage a great recruitment process, one that shows your company (and the role) in the best possible light, and ALWAYS gives a positive candidate experience.
Maybe you don’t have the time and resource to do this?
Luckily for you there is a solution…
𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮.
𝑀𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑒𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝐹𝑀𝐶𝐺 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑢𝑝𝑠, 𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑠, 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑆𝑀𝐸’𝑠 𝑠𝑜 𝑎𝑑𝑣𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑢𝑖𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒.
Andrew Baker, Head of Scaling Brands
Andrew@1485search.com
07774 639 365