While some of the younger readers out there might find it hard to believe, not so long ago, people had to search for jobs in the printed version of their local newspapers. Of course, today’s digital landscape has given young job-seekers a number of different avenues to find their dream jobs.
Couple that with the fact that this June, unemployment rate dropped to a 16-year low of 4.3% you quickly realize that things are looking great for young candidates.
On the other hand, things could definitely be better for employers across the country. This is especially visible in the Business2Business sector where, according to recent Salesforce research, only around 20% of teams are, as researchers put it, “High-performing.”
Naturally, in an effort to hire high-performing sales reps, companies of all sizes are looking for new ways to upgrade their recruiting process and attract the top clients.
In addition to finding new tactics, this involves investing in new technologies and finding the right combination of algorithms and creativity that will give your company a competitive edge in the recruitment market for years to come.
So in order to help you attract only the cream of the crop talent, here are four recruiting techniques that just might help you win the war for talent in 2017.
1. Ensure that Your Site is Fully Optimized
For starters – a quick question. Did you know that we today have more mobile devices than people on Earth? Well, we actually do. And since mobile devices are so popular, Google of course made some important changes to its search algorithms in the last couple of years so that companies, which have mobile-friendly websites rank higher in searches. Moreover, those who have out-of-date sites suffer a great hit in their Google rankings.
What’s more, every member of your target demographic now owns more than three mobile, internet-capable devices, according to a recent study by the Global Web Index. So in order to catch the attention of these perspective workers, you need to ensure that you have a fully-functional, modern website that it optimized to work on all screen sizes across a number of different devices.
2. Create Interactive Recruiting Videos
This may sound like a huge investment for some – but it will definitely pay off in the long run – since the technique can help bring your organization to life and allow prospects to navigate their own experiences based on their unique interests. This way, you’ll be able to present your company just as you want it, and educate candidates about the history of it and inform them about the culture.
Recently, Deloitte created an interactive video titled “Will You Fit into Deloitte” that allowed candidates to have an exclusive look at the company, its on premise offices and inform them about different business units within the company. And this didn’t only attract a huge number of candidates, but also allowed Deloitte’s recruiters to gather useful, user-preference information that informed their future searches.
3. Start Inviting Candidates behind the Scenes
Let’s face, it’s to learn basically anything about your future workplace from a simple introductory interview. And that’s why a number of companies has started leveraging a tactic mostly used by real estate agents and hosting open houses for their candidates. This allows organizations to give their future employees a taste of their company culture and office atmosphere by letting them experience everything from sights to work ethic…
Just keep in mind that today’s worker know exactly what they are looking for in their employers. For instance, sales recruitment firms like Pulse Recruitment from Sydney offer young graduates opportunities to experience the business world before they even finish school. This allows candidates to have a better understanding of what different companies offer and realize what type of organization they want to be a part of.
4. Make Sure You Have a Good Reputation
The last entry on our list may sound a bit… Uninventive, because common sense will tell you that if you and your company don’t have a good reputation, in no way you’ll be able to attract top candidates. But since the Internet is now seen as the first source of information for general business information – 64% of people trust search engines the most when researching a business – you need to do everything in your power to ensure that your online reputation is spotless.
Top companies like Google and Bain & Co. offer perks like gyms, free meals and generous parental leaves and while you probably can’t compete with them, make sure that all of your benefits are widely known. Just remember, according to Glassdoor, almost 85% of current employees would leave their jobs if they were offered a role in a company with better corporate reputation.
Final Thoughts
Finally, you need to realize one thing – the workforce as we know it is rapidly changing. Millennials, who now make up the largest part of the workforce have completely different aspiration and needs than their predecessors.
For instance, millennials are frequent “job-hoppers.’ According to Gallup research, roughly 21% of millennials have changed jobs in the past 12 months, which is three times the number of non-millennials. So if you want to keep young workers in your office, you’ll need to put in some extra effort.
And that’s why you need to invest more time and money in your recruiting process this year. If you manage to find the right mix of technology, intelligence and creativity, you’ll surely be able to hire the best people available…