Following the Great Resignation, where a record number of employees left their jobs, it’s a candidate’s market, where applicants have more freedom to be selective about the types of jobs they’re applying and interviewing for.
If companies want to successfully attract talent and retain talent in this hyper-competitive market, they need to consider incorporating these key best practices into their recruitment strategies in 2022.
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the way we work. For the past two years, the majority of the workforce has been working from home with little to no setbacks. In fact, some organizations have seen more productivity and higher performance from their employees. The pandemic was one of the first real tests on how effective remote work could be, leading many companies to reevaluate the necessity of having employees work full-time in the office.
As vaccines become more readily available, many organizations are considering a return to the office; however, a large portion of workers are, instead, advocating for a less one-size-fits-all model.
According to Owl Labs, 74% of workers say that having a remote work option would make them less likely to leave a company. If companies want to retain employees and hire new ones, a remote or hybrid model should be considered. In fact, recruiters have found that workplaces offering a remote work option increased their success finding candidates, with 64% of recruiters saying that a work-from-home policy has helped them find high-quality talent.
There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to recruiting and retaining top-tier. Offering a hybrid work model is just one of the ways your company can begin to create a more tailored employee experience. Giving employees a sense of agency in their work also helps create and maintain a positive workplace environment.
Providing your employees the opportunity to decide what works for them will help them feel valued. Whether that’s through working remotely or allowing flexible hours to encourage a healthy work-life balance, organizations that give employees the autonomy to tailor their work experience not only recruit top talent but also retain their workforce.
The candidate experience starts at hello. Allowing potential candidates flexibility in how they interview – virtually or in-person – and being willing to work with their schedule can make your company more appealing, too. How responsive you are to candidates, how authentically your team shows up to them in interviews, and how transparent you are throughout the process all impact the candidate experience.
Emphasizing that your company values the well-being of your employees and potential candidates is a great way to retain employees and attract qualified new ones.
According to Indeed, over 70% of millennials, Gen Xers, and Baby Boomers use their mobile phones to search and apply for jobs. Organizations that offer candidates the ability to apply for jobs from anywhere in the world at a few simple clicks will gain a competitive advantage.
Having a website and applicant tracking systems with an end-to-end mobile-friendly experience is essential to finding qualified candidates. Not investing in this approach means losing out on great candidates who are applying from their mobile devices.
The number of job seekers using their mobile phones will only continue to grow, particularly as Gen Z continues to enter the workforce. To reach this target audience, companies need to prioritize updating their content and job listings to be mobile-friendly. According to Smashfly, a recruitment platform developer, only 35% of Fortune 500 companies have mobile-friendly recruitment sites. This disparity between the expectations of job seekers and the current reality of businesses needs to be addressed by companies if they hope to continue to attract fresh talent.
Before beginning a talent search, HR and leadership should be aligned on the desired qualities and expectations they are searching for in their next candidate to avoid unnecessary slowdowns.
After developing clear and concise expectations for applicants, integrating automation and artificial intelligence (AI) into the recruitment process can help speed up the task of identifying qualified candidates and alleviate frustrations and time constraints for both employer and job seeker. Using AI recruitment software works with your applicant tracking system to parse through applications and gather data and insights about applicants. This can save time and money, as well as collect valuable information for your recruiting team. According to a report from Ideal, integrating AI and automation into your hiring process has been shown to save 23 hours per hire and has helped decrease turnover by 35%.
However, teams shouldn’t rely heavily on technology when trying to find top-tier talent. Instead adopt a “both-and” mentality rather than “either-or” when it comes to balancing the use of AI, according to Deloitte. AI and automation have its limitations when it comes to identifying candidates that would work best for your organization and cannot replace recruitment teams, but recruitment teams need to use AI and automation to be the most effective in 2022.
As Gen Z continues to enter the job market, employers need to understand what attracts them to a company and how to update their own strategies to be more effective. According to Allegis, 51% of HR decision-makers say their companies don’t realize the qualities that drive Gen Z (or Millennial) talent. Recruitment strategies that work for other generations aren’t attracting this generation’s talent.
HireVue reports that companies who embrace flexibility, stability, and diversity are the most attractive to Gen Z. Additionally, Gen Z is considered to be “digital natives”. Having grown with the internet, social media and other forms of technology, Gen Z talent expects employers to be technologically savvy. Because of this, it is important for companies to not only keep their online presence up to date and effective, but also ensure that advanced technology is being used in the workplace.
Arby’s is a great example of how an organization can adapt its recruitment strategies to reach Gen Z. By focusing on creating a positive and supportive company culture and living their company values, Arby’s has been able to successfully attract Gen Z talent. Arby’s prioritizes their employees' well-being and encourages in-depth conversations to ensure candidates feel heard throughout the applicant process.
Updating your recruitment site, considering their interests when writing job descriptions, and creating positive relationships with Gen Z job seekers are extremely effective recruitment strategies, according to a report on Gen Z recruitment best practices by Yello. Coming of age during the pandemic and the Great Resignation has influenced Gen Z’s expectations of the workplace and businesses must recruit accordingly.
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Allied Van Lines, The Careful Movers®, supports local, long-distance and international moves — large and small — and is the largest mover network in the world. With over 90 years of experience, we’re here when you need us to ensure your company and your top talent move forward into the future, together. Learn more.