Bryony Gibson, managing director of Bryony Gibson Consulting, shares the trends that will help you to improve your recruitment strategy in 2019.
It’s been a year of change in the recruiting world and, while there are some obvious external factors out of our control, the last year has seen GDPR affect the way recruiters operate. New technological developments and a focus on removing hiring bias in large companies have also had a significant impact, but the biggest challenge remains the same.
How to recruit the best people when there’s a lack of skilled candidates available remains the number one issue for every growing business; including the tax and accountancy sector.
Skill shortages have been the biggest challenge for a number of years, so if you haven’t already accepted that the recruitment market is driven by talented people, not employers, then 2019 is the time to do so.
As an experienced professional with the right attitude, you simply don’t have to worry about whether or not you’ll be able to find a new job; it’s those competing for your signature that need to be concerned. That’s why I believe these six trends are the most important ones to consider if you want to improve your recruitment in 2019:
1. Recruitment Marketing
Despite not being in your current marketing plan, this can have an enormously positive impact on your bottom line. The most successful global recruiters all develop recruitment marketing strategies to help them attract talent and raise their profile as a great place to work. In 2019 this will become an essential part of the hiring process and help you to attract the right people.
2. Employer Brand
Good people do a lot of research before applying for a job and websites like Glassdoor make it easy to discover what employees really think about working anywhere. If you have a bad reputation, it could be why you find it difficult to hire and retain great staff. It’s essential to put energy into building a strong employer brand and communicate your company values effectively during the recruitment process.
3. Candidate Experience
People walk away from the hiring process if the experience doesn’t match their expectations, so it’s critical that you improve job application, interview and feedback methods. A bad interaction will not only lead to people turning down job offers, but shines a negative light on the business as a whole. Make sure you dedicate enough time to recruiting, treat people with respect, respond to queries, communicate clearly and make decisions quickly. If you want to beat your competitors to the best people, a much more personalised and engaging recruitment experience is a must.
4. Talent Pool
Imagine if every time you had a job vacancy you were prepared with a pool of pre-selected talent to call upon. That’s the way the best recruiters work and it’s something that should become more main-stream in 2019, helping businesses to respond quickly to staffing changes and warm up the right people ahead of time so they can help with future talent needs.
5. Employee Referrals
Referrals from people you trust and who understand the needs and culture of your business are the best way to find new recruits. If you look after your staff, they will not only become your best advocates, but will help to attract great people in the quickest and most cost effective way. That’s the reason incentivising staff to help with recruitment is still a popular trend which will continue to rise in the coming year.
6. Talent Sourcing
Only one third of people are actively looking for a new job, but almost everyone is interested in hearing about the right opportunity. In a candidate-driven market you need to extend your reach, so working with someone who has expertise and access to the best people is a crucial part of any pro-active recruitment strategy.
Concentrating on these trends will give your recruitment strategy a fresh focus and help to attract the very best talent.
