How to Hire in a Candidate’s Job Market

It could be argued that the COVID-19 pandemic has and continues to be the biggest driver of lightening quick changes in U.S. business in the history of our country. Want proof? More than 4 million people have departed their jobs each month in the U.S. this year alone, at the same time as 40% of Americans are considering quitting their current employment the next 3 to 6 months according to McKinsey.

Image credit: McKinsey & Company

Another trend: While they're relatively new to the job market now, it's estimated that Generation Z (people born from 1997 onward) will make up a full 30% of the workforce by 2030. That's at the same time that 5% of Boomers will exit it, leaving the Boomer and the Gen Z-er at about equal numbers in the labor market. Zoomers want different things than their predecessors, and, well - so do most of us!

It’s a Candidate’s World and We’re Just Living In It

We've come to a moment of an entirely new hiring landscape for employers, who simply cannot afford to act as though workers are replaceable (they may not be), or cogs in a machine who will do anything to get the job (they will not.) Job seekers of today have choice, and they use the hiring process to determine whether an organization is going to be a good one.

The good news - and yes, there IS good news! - is that there are pretty easy tweaks you can make to your hiring processes and practices that might make your life easier while attracting talent.

Here’s How

1) Make Technology Your Friend

Where are you posting your job openings? Sure, your Indeed.com and Linkedin are good starting points, but have you taken to social media to share jobs? Have you considered allowing candidates to apply on social media platforms? Today's job seekers expect a company to be technologically savvy and have a brand they can relate to, and they want the initial recruiting process to be painless. Another point? Don't insist on an in-person interview. It's completely normal and expected to engage in video-conferencing for the beginning or even all of the job interview process in a post-pandemic world.

You Benefit? Using social to recruit allows you to skip the passive candidates you may get on other platforms. It's also just easier!

2) Get Real With Your Job Postings

Can you get away with not posting the salary range for a position? Yes. Is it a good idea? Not for today's job seeker, particularly those Gen Z-ers, 70% of whom find salary to be the motivating factor in selecting employment according to a Concordia study.

In addition to posting salary, get honest about what the work entails and the must-have skills, while simultaneously pulling back on the "nice to haves." Does your perfect candidate REALLY need a college degree? What comparable skills might they have gained in other areas of life (i.e: parenthood, or a customer service job) that would work just as well?

Don't be shy about also boasting all of the great perks of your organization, from benefits to 401K to - perhaps most importantly - company culture and what it feels like to work with your team. You're selling your job, so do it well.

You Benefit? You'll weed out applicants who aren't amenable to the salary or work expectations right away, ensuring you're only talking to the people who want what you're offering.

3) Prior Candidate? Previous Employee? They Just Made Your Candidate Pool

It is normal and expected at this point to head back into your application file and dust off previously discarded candidates. Reach back out to them to see if they still have interest. The same goes true for previous employees who may have left. With 10 million job openings in the U.S. today, it's all about networking and ensuring you're leaving no resume un-reviewed in the search.

You Benefit? You're not blindly hunting candidates, but reaching out to those who you know want to (or did want to) work at your organization.

4) Don’t Belabor the Process

Can you skip the cover letter request? Yep, and it's appreciated (and sometimes even expected by younger candidates.) Should you condense the interview process so that the person you're looking at doesn't have to repeatedly answer the same questions with everyone on your team? Definitely.

Sure, you need to engage in a thorough enough hiring process that you know you're getting the best person for the job. But doing so in a way that focuses on skills (a performance task), and company fit (informal conversation) is what the 2022 candidate expects.

You Benefit? You get hours back on your calendar that would otherwise have been spent in interviews, and your perspective employees - who are judging your company as much as you're judging them - will see that their time is valued.

Feeling In Over Your Head?

You don't have to do it alone! With our Embedded Recruitment Support we can help you attract, engage, hire, and retain the best talent of today.