Even in the current politically burdened climate, unemployment remains low. Since the recession, jobseekers have been getting into positions as quickly as their employers are creating. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May 2017, the unemployment rate stands at 4.7 percent. However, this also means that literally millions of people in the U.S. are still looking for work.
So why is it still so difficult to find qualified candidates for your vacancies? According to employment experts, there may be a problem with your own recruitment practices.
Gathering feedback from more than 2.5 million managers in 195 countries, Gallup for 2016 U.S. Manager Status The study found that after hiring motivated employees, sales increase by 20 percent.
However, in 2016-2017, the Manpower Group Talent Shortage Survey of 19 percent of employers surveyed said that applicants lack the skills and experience to excel. Of the more than 42,000 employers surveyed, a staggering 40 percent said they had experienced greater difficulties in filling jobs in recent years.
Read on to find out why your vacancies are unoccupied. Here’s how you can edit job descriptions and recruitment tactics to attract and place qualified candidates:
1. Details of vacancies are unclear or incomplete
You know exactly what your company does and which clients it targets. However, job seekers are discouraged when they have to play guesswork to understand the details of your company.
Job descriptions that are created in a hurry and omit details about the company and position are a warning flag.
In the 2017 CareerBuilder program Studying the Candidate’s ExperienceIn a survey of more than 5,000 job seekers, 82 percent of workers said it was important to determine the structure of the company’s team and its location before applying.
Job seekers are also interested in details such as salary, benefits, company strength, culture and more. Just as you don’t want to be in a state of constant hiring, they want to avoid a situation where they will be looking for a job again in a few months, because expectations of work were not clear from the beginning.
2. You have unrealistic expectations
The chances of getting your “dream employee” are rare. While it is possible to find a mechanic who is also a chief accountant, or a social media strategist who is dedicated to advanced physics along the way, there are few of these scenarios.
Strict qualifications that go back to the distant past of the job seeker will also narrow down the circle of candidates. Demanding a perfect SAT score or unrealistic abilities will prepare you for failure.
On the other hand, if you advertise a job as “no experience required”, candidates will assume that the company will retain workers only until it finds a better qualified applicant. Others may interpret this phrase as meaning a low salary, high stress and little chance of progression.
3. You will not offer any value to the job seeker
An improving economy means that jobseekers have more options. When times are good, many workers are simply not interested in changing careers or learning news.
Although money is not everything, it is a major concern for job seekers who are considering multiple offers. Applicants are less likely to accept a job with low pay and high demands or responsibilities if they are able to find a position with the same or higher salary that requires less training and learning.
On the other hand, many job seekers will accept a lower starting salary in exchange for additional benefits such as networking opportunities, professional development courses, and more. These applicants are willing to take a leap in faith as long as they can be sure that the time investment in learning new skills will benefit their professional goals.
4. Your hiring process is too long
Many job seekers have a lot of “irons on fire” and often comply with the first job offer they are offered, especially if they have been looking for a job for some time. Most of these workers will stay with the recruitment company for at least a year. If you don’t “hit while the iron is hot,” you risk losing a potentially high-performing employee.
Excessive interviews (both in duration and frequency) are a warning sign for job seekers. They get the impression that the employer is either indecisive or perfectionist. Neither scenario is appealing.
While it is true that your workday is not about recruitment, job seekers crave frequent communication and status information. If weeks pass without a hearing from a potential employer, the candidate will assume that you are not interested and switch to other opportunities.
Finding a suitable candidate to fill your vacancies is time-consuming. However, you can streamline the process by being transparent about both the company and the status of the position.
In the “jobseekers market”, you need to show how your vacancies benefit the job seeker and give him peace of mind that this is not just a number. Strive to make the recruitment process run real and remember to maintain regular contact with the job candidate so that he knows you want to hire him.
