Three ways to better attract, engage and retain new hires

Jobseekers’ hunt for a new role usually begins with two questions: ‘what?’ and ‘where?’. But for HR there are a lot more challenges to consider when filling a new position. We offer three ideas to help improve your recruiting process

Recruiting the right candidate is always a challenge – but it’s one that is getting increasingly more difficult for HR teams. According to the CIPD’s Labour Market Outlook: winter 18-19, employers face a “tight labour market”, with nearly half (43%) saying it has become tougher to fill vacancies over the past 12 months.

These days, recruiters are grappling with multiple competing priorities: they need to not only fill critical vacancies with talented candidates but also reduce agency and hiring costs, cut staff turnover, improve recruitment efficiency and report on every aspect of the recruitment process – including every penny spent on recruitment costs – all while projecting a positive image to candidates. Here are some tips to help cope with that pressure.

1) Tailor your advertising strategy to attract the right applicants

Mobile devices and job search apps have taken much of the leg work out of finding vacant positions and made searching for a new job easier than ever.

According to research from job search engine Indeed, 72% of UK jobseekers are looking for new jobs using their mobile devices – so it’s essential that your adverts are tailored for this digital, mobile-first experience. For example, make it easy for them to upload their CV straight from their phone, rather than requiring them to enter all the information into an application form – preferably one that’s part of an applicant tracking system that makes it quicker and easier for you, the HR user, to track and manage applications.

Gianluca Bonacchi, a product evangelist at Indeed, told delegates at our recent customer conference that HR teams need to “master the art and science of content. means choosing job titles that match with the type of applicant you are hoping to attract. For example, changing a title such as ‘account manager’ to ‘sales representative’ actually gave a 409% rise in applications for one particular client.”

Attracting the right kind of talent for your organisation is not merely a case of adding a job to a website and waiting: you also need to be proactive about managing your employer brand. Enhance your reputation as an organisation of choice by using social media as part of your hiring process, with thought-provoking blogs and eye-catching social posts.. And be sure to pay attention to reviews on sites such as Glassdoor: 83% of jobseekers surveyed by Indeed said that online reviews impact where they apply.

You’ll only know if your efforts are succeeding by monitoring statistics connected to your recruitment campaigns, such as how many times the advert was viewed, and how often jobseekers clicked through to your website. This data will help you to refine your strategy and optimise aspects of your hiring process that may not be working for you at the moment.

2) Invite applicants to shine in a video interview

Italian polymath Leonardo Da Vinci is regarded as being the first candidate to write and send a targeted CV when he sought a job from Duke Sforza, the military ruler of Milan, in 1482. Chances are, his LinkedIn profile would be a hit today, too.

Candidates are increasingly adept at selling themselves, stuffing their CVs and applications with buzzwords. So if everyone is ‘strategic’, ‘good with people’ and ‘proactive’ these days, how can you find the right talent for your organisation?

According to a Cisco forecast report, by 2021 82% of all global internet traffic will be video, and 87% of mobile traffic will be video. “Video-embedded job adverts currently see 800% more engagement according to recruitment agencies,” says the report.

So why not embrace the popularity of this recording tool and use a video screening tool? You can use them to invite candidates to answer a set of questions that you’ve defined. You’ll learn additional information about candidates and be able to compare responses to a consistent set of questions, reducing bias. Hiring managers will be able to rate candidates in their own time and measure their performance more accurately. For the candidate, it means less pressure when it comes to arranging time off work, and no travel costs are involved. Plus, they can prepare and record in the comfort of their own home. And there’s no stressful coordination of diaries. What’s not to like?

3) Make them feel at home from day one with brilliant onboarding

Having an online onboarding portal not only enables employees to get to grips with your organisation’s policies before their first day, but it’s also useful for making them feel part of the team and to help them get to know their new colleagues.

Providing useful information online – such as your organisation’s values and history, building layout, and policies and procedures – will help to streamline your inductions and make them more engaging and successful.

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