Last week, we shared tips to help #parking industry career seekers conduct a successful search. This week, we're focusing on the other side of the equation, companies looking to hire new talent. Candidates are very much in the driver's seat, and in order to attract the best talent, your strategy must revolve around their needs and keeping them engaged throughout the process.
Referrals Are the New Classified Ad
Gallup's 2017 State of the American Workforce report found that 68% of participants learned about job opportunities through family or friends, and 71% learned about opportunities through current employees of the organization.
Your employment brand and online presence are critical to attracting talent through these sources. A portion of your website and social media efforts should be dedicated to telling the story of what it is like to work at your company. I was with a client recently who said that women are some of the top performers in his company, but he has a difficult time attracting them to apply. We opened up his website, and observed that there wasn't a single picture of a female employee to be found. Not only is this a deterrent to applicants, it probably doesn't help with current employee retention efforts either.
Make it easy for employees to help tell your company's story by encouraging them to like and share company posted content on their own social media pages. You can encourage this by launching an #employeereferralprogram that incentivizes these efforts.
Keep Your Job Application Simple
The first step towards making your job application simple is to make it available online. If top candidates can't find you online, they won't find you at all.
A recent #Jobvite survey found that 60% of applicants abandon a complex online application. Your application should involve the fewest fields and clicks (no more than 4) possible. Only capture what you absolutely need to evaluate a candidate's qualifications for the role and avoid asking for information you won’t need until later in the process (e.g., emergency contact information) if a candidate is hired.
The 90 Day Probation Period Has Been Flipped
If you're one of those employers who believes in evaluating a new hire's performance during the first 90 days to see if they will meet expectations, I have news for you, they are evaluating her/his new position through the same lens! It is quite common for candidates to go fairly deep into the interview process on more than one opportunity and over 25% of new hires are willing to make another move during this timeframe if the job doesn't align with their expectations. How can you put your best foot forward with new hires?
- Make sure the actual job and company culture match up with what was shared during the recruitment process and through your employment brand.
- Map out an onboarding and training plan for the first 60 - 90 days on the job and share this with your new employee on day one.
- Check in with your new employee along the way. Provide opportunities to receive feedback, and address concerns where you can.
Download our hiring guide to learn more about how you can attract the best candidates to your company:
