In today's competitive job market, attracting the best candidates calls for a strategic and multi-dimensional approach. Employers need to go beyond the normal, traditional recruitment methods to engage and secure the best. This blog explores effective strategies that you can put into practice to enhance candidate attraction - all supported by current data and best practices.
1. Build a captivating employer brand
It's common knowledge that a strong employer brand is crucial for attracting quality candidates. It reflects your company's culture and values and influences how potential employees see your organisation. According to a survey by Glassdoor, 86% of job seekers are likely to research an employer's reputation before they apply for a job. So creating an authentic story that accurately represents your company is crucial.
To build a capitivating employer brand:
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Showcase your company's culture: Use your website and company's social media channels, like LinkedIn and Facebook, to highlight what it's like to work there, use employee testimonials and highlight company events and team-building days.
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Communicate your values and mission: Clearly share what your company stands for and how it's impacting your local community or industry.
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Embrace corporate social responsibility (CSR): Show your commitment to social and environmental causes. It's often an appealing trait for many candidates looking for an employer who is socially conscious.
For more insights on employer branding, take a look at the key strategies and benefits of an EVP.
2. Optimise your careers site and application process
Going hand in hand with EVP, optimising your career site with genuine and authentic content is crucial for both attracting and retaining the best talent. It's also helpful in enhancing candidate engagement too.
Mobile optimisation: With a substantial number of candidates using a mobile device for job searches and applications, ensuring your career site and applications are mobile-friendly and accessible is essential. Data from our 2024 Candidate Insights Report, from a survey of 7,000 candidates, found that 60% of job seekers preferred to use a mobile device or tablet to search and apply for a job.
Clear job adverts: The first rule of job adverts? Don't just copy and paste the job description, that's really not going to help attract star candidates! A job advert and a job description are quite distinct. Think of a job advert as a promotion with the key aim of attracting applicants with authentic and honest content about the job. It's not where disclaimers and a comprehensive list of responsibilities belong (by all means, add a job description as a downloadable attachment on the job advert so candidates can choose to read ALL the details there).
The job advert should also include images and videos, which can boost candidate applications by up to 42% - and keep job titles concise too - reducing them from 7 words to 3 can attract 48% more candidates! Put yourself in the shoes of the job seeker and use titles that people will actually search for.
For more on creating killer job adverts, check out our blog on writing irresistible job adverts.
Easy application process: Simplifying the application process is key to preventing candidate drop-off. Research tells us that 60% of job seekers are unhappy with time-consuming hiring processes - and that includes the application form too. Streamlining your application forms and minimising unnecessary steps can enhance completion rates.
Learn more about launching and enhancing your career site when we caught up with EVP experts, DNA.
3. Make use of social media
Most people use it in their personal lives, but how in tune is your company with utilising social media channels for a greater reach? Social media is another instrument to add to your arsenal of powerful tools to reach a broader audience and engage with potential candidates.
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Maintain an active presence: Identify which social platforms your target candidates are likely to use most often and maintain a presence there with insightful (and authentic!) company content and job opening updates. Check out platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X and determine which platforms are going to work best for you.
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Content sharing: Don't share content for the sake of it, it'll just turn off potential hires if the content is of poor quality and not offering value. Post content that's engaging, such as employee stories, behind-the-scenes videos or industry insights to showcase your company's knowledge and culture.
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Targeted advertising: If your company is in a niche sector or operates in remote locations, consider using paid social media advertising to reach specific demographics, locations and passive candidates.
Hiring through storytelling is also another way to think about how to create engaging content for candidate attraction.
4. Implement employee referral programmes
Employee referrals can be a really effective way to attract high-quality candidates. Referred candidates often have a better understanding of the company culture and are more likely to be a good, long-term fit. 70% of businesses agree too, saying that referrals have the best cultural fit for their company.
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Incentivise referrals: Offer bonuses or other rewards to employees who refer successful hires.
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Simplify the process: Make it easy for employees to refer candidates through a streamlined system.
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Promote the programme: Regularly remind employees about the referral programme and its benefits.
For more ideas on how to use employee referrals, listen to what Natalie Page from Crossroads Care Surrey had to say on leveraging referrals to overcome recruitment challenges.
5. Enhance the candidate experience
Going hand in hand with many of the points we covered above, a positive candidate experience sets you apart from competitors and encourages top talent to join your organisation. Get the basics right and you're half way there.
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Timely communication: Keep candidates informed throughout the recruitment process. Let them know you've received their application, update them about any delays and most importantly, let them know if they've not been successful. 52% of candidates said they've waited three months or longer to receive a response from a job application - this is simply not good enough.
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Personalised interactions: Tailor your communication to candidates and reference specific aspects of their application that stood out. At the interview stage, make sure candidates are well prepared and fully engaged in the process. For more tips on how to create a great candidate experience, watch Matt Garner from Voyage Care and how they manage candidates through interviews.
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Offer feedback: Offer constructive feedback to candidates, even if they aren't shortlisted or selected, to leave a positive impression.
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6. Offer competitive compensation and benefits
Offering appealing compensation packages is part of the key to attracting top talent. But remember, perks beyond just the salary are becoming more and more important to candidates. Salary is still important, but so are the perks.
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Do you offer flexible working? Offer options like remote work or flexible hours. In our Q3 2024 Candidate Insights Report, 17% of candidates surveyed said the mention of flexible working was the reason they decided to apply.
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What professional development do you include? Provide opportunities for growth through support from mentors, training, certifications and career advancement.
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Do you include health and wellness programmes? Implement initiatives that support employees' physical and mental well-being.
For more information on what candidates are looking for, watch our webinar with the author of our Q3 2024 Candidate Insights Report for tips and advice.
7. Embrace diversity and inclusion
Creating a diverse and inclusive workplace can bring in a wider range of candidates and can also spark innovation.
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Inclusive job adverts: Don't use language that could make some candidates feel isolated, think carefully and use language that appeals to a broad audience and avoids bias.
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Diverse interview panels: Make sure your recruitment team includes people from a variety of backgrounds with different perspectives.
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Ongoing training: What about your existing employees? Provide diversity and inclusion training for all employees to help continue the promotion of an inclusive culture.
This only scratches the surface! For more details, watch our fascinating discussion with Bridge of Hope Careers on inclusive hiring with practical tips on fostering diversity in recruitment.
8. Utilise data-driven recruitment strategies
Using data can really fine-tune your recruitment process and make it easier to attract great candidates - data-driven recruitment is transforming the way organisations attract, hire and retain talent.
By using recruitment data intelligently, you can uncover insights to help refine your hiring strategy, identify trends and make informed decisions. From improving job advert performance to understanding candidate behaviour, data empowers you to stay ahead in the competitive talent market. Curious about how to harness the power of your recruitment data? Learn how to make the most out of your recruitment data and discover actionable tips and strategies.