The job market is cooling down, but workers still have the upper hand. While there are fewer job openings, layoffs are low, and "voluntary job quitting" remains high. Voluntary job quitting is a good indicator of the market. When workers quit their jobs voluntarily, it indicates a strong confidence in their ability to find a new position.
When workers have their choice of employer, you'll need to attract them to your open positions in ways that might be a little different than what has worked in the past. Old, text-based job posts no longer work to get top talent who have their pick of the litter.
We know there are some things you cannot change, we'll tell you how to change what you can to find new talent. Read on for five tips and tools to help attract top talent to your open jobs and keep current employees engaged.
- Cultivate and Communicate a Strong Employer Brand: Workers today are looking for more than just a salary or functional benefits. They want to work for companies whose values are the same as their own. They want to know how they'll fit in with your current employees and enjoy the pace and way work is done. Sharing your company's culture is a good way for potential employees to understand whether your company is a good fit for them. Sharing this information up front decreases the time to hire and drastically reduces wrong-fit hires.
- Be Flexible: While the worst of the pandemic seems to be over, the way people work is forever changed. Many (in specific fields) have realized they can be just as, if not more, productive at home than in offices. The shift to working from home allowed people to more easily balance their work with their lives, reduce time in transit or commuting and choose how and where they work. While you may or may not allow employees to continue working from home, you need to recognize the need for increased flexibility. Workers who are not met with understanding and flexibility will likely look to other companies that are flexible and able to suit their needs.
- Invest in Training and Upskilling: Even if an applicant does not have the skills needed for the position you are promoting, consider hiring them and providing on-the-job training. Investing in growing the skills of new employees not only expands the talent pool, but it’s also a great way to demonstrate commitment to growing the overall team.
- Invest in Employee Wellness: While this plays into your overall company culture, it's importance merits its own bullet point. There is increasing emphasis on recognizing who your employees are outside of work hours. When applying for work, now more than ever, you need to show employees you care about their whole selves. With Gen Z especially, work/life balance plays a more prominent role than ever.
- Recruit Passive Candidates: While the above tips can help, this is the number one way to increase your qualified applicants. If you can recruit workers who aren't even looking for a job, almost everyone in the workforce could be a potential applicant! But how do you recruit people who aren't looking for a job? You'll have to reach them where they spend time. Increasingly, that's on social media. And the content that works best on social media? Video. WorkReels can help you make compelling videos that share who you are that are perfect for social media.
While none of these in isolation can solve your recruiting woes, combining these methods can help you progress toward filling those empty roles. You may need more than your old recruiting methods to be competitive in the war for talent. Try some of these and see your positions filled in no time
