Despite a so-called “return to normal,” the pandemic has changed the way we look at the workplace for good. In a function where it is often remarked that ‘people buy people’ and that the personal touch is something that candidates very reasonably expect – how have SME’s evolved? And how has technology kept pace with their demands?
Whilst the recruitment process can have a lot of commonality between small companies, the areas that really start to differentiate employers in the eyes of the candidate are: the attraction process, the interview process, the onboarding process and the whole pace at which the application is handled.
So how have these areas been impacted by our working from home enforcement, and has your tech kept pace with your needs?
Attracting Candidates remains the same!
In truth, this is the one area that probably hasn’t been impacted too much. Applicants tend to review adverts in their own time (our research shows that the most popular time to search and apply for jobs was late evening – in bed)! However, it is worth highlighting that most candidates do this via a mobile device – so perhaps it’s worth checking how easy it is to do this via your own website!
According to CMD Recruitment, 76% of hiring staff say attracting quality candidates is their biggest challenge. This is no surprise, but to respond to this organisations need to showcase themselves in innovative ways.
With candidates unable to travel to head office locations and see the ‘best’ of your business, there is an increased need to take your business to them! That is where initial candidate engagement is critical. That is the importance of having candidate portals with links to ‘A day in the life…’, or testimonials from other employees about their experience of working with your organisation, or sharing stories about the positive culture, or the impact that your organisation is having with social responsibility initiatives.
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All these issues were important before, but with candidates informing themselves at arm’s length, and with Generation Z being more discerning about the type of organisation they work for, then never has it been more important to position yourself positively in their eyes.
According to a recent survey by Glassdoor, 73% of job seekers won’t apply to a company unless that company’s values align with their own.
In light of this fact, perhaps tone is as important as content here when projecting your culture – but that’s a whole new article!
How has the interview process changed post-pandemic?
This is where perhaps the greatest disruption and the greatest change has happened. 2020 was the year where Zoom, Teams and other video platforms all came to the fore, and for the most part this hasn’t changed! However, simply having a ‘face time’ style meeting is not the same as a planned video interview. There are many complex, highly regarded (and expensive) video platforms out there already. But what we have seen is the need to ensure the simplicity of the technology is there for all users – and that the facility to capture the interview (both the video and the transcript) are linked to your own recruitment system.
Why is this important? Because without this in place, you could face a claim of unfair bias; or discrimination. Having consistency in the process, having evidence of what was asked and what was said and allowing hiring managers to perhaps view responses without seeing individuals is priceless in securing equality in your hiring process.
The Onboarding Process is where the real challenge lies
11% of candidates drop out after offer and before starting. In other words, you do all the hard work to find the right talent, and then they fail to start after accepting the role.
So what can you do?
Onboarding can be a clumsy and, at times, tortured process. It can take weeks to get a contract prepared, sent and signed. It can take longer to get references checked, or to get Right to Work papers and DBS checks completed!
How can recruiters keep pace with change?
Any business textbook will advise that two things kill deals – time and momentum. Doing things with pace is vital if you want to hire the best candidates, both for big business and small. Using a great Applicant Tracking System should support you in this quest. Having your recruitment managed online, completed electronically in minutes, not days, is critical. We understand that transitioning to recruitment tech can be scary – which is why our Applicant Tracking System built exclusively for SME’s has been designed to be simple and easy to use.
If some good is to come from the past 18 months, it should be that the lessons learnt are now built upon. That will mean ensuring your technology supports you in the way you need to be, not in the way you once were.