Effective recruiting has never been easy, even for the best companies in the country. Recruiting is part science and part art form. It takes a mix of technology and tools and good, old-fashioned expertise to source, attract, recruit and retain great people. And in a tight market or difficult economic conditions, recruiting can feel like an uphill battle.
Adding to the challenge is the fact that recruiting is an evolutionary function. Best practices are always changing, new tools are always entering the market and the needs and demands of employees are always shifting, as well. Even so, this last year has been especially difficult, taking a toll on recruiters, hiring managers and job search agencies in every industry. While some challenges are to be expected, recruiting is much harder now than it was just one short year ago.
The Only Thing That’s Certain Is Uncertainty
In 2020 we all learned that just when you think things are even and “normal,” the rug can be pulled out from under you in an instant.
No matter which experts you listen to or which models you follow for economic and public health predictions, no one has a crystal ball and can say for certain what will happen next year, let alone next week – or even tomorrow.
Right now, no one can count on anything to remain constant. You never know when one of your customers will drop off due to their own challenges, whether one of your vendors or suppliers will close, or even which members of your staff will still be employed with you when the calendar turns. Uncertainty makes it extremely difficult to plan, especially when it comes to workforce needs because you also never know when a former customer will return with a large order, or if overall demand for your products or services will suddenly take off due to an upswing or change in the economy.
Uncertainty Makes Workforce Planning A Challenge
If you’re still using the same workforce planning methods and models you did a year ago, you’re likely struggling. In times of uncertainty, your company must open itself to more flexible options. Contract roles and temporary staffing can be an effective way to make your workforce more flexible, allowing you to staff up and down quickly and without taking on risk. By working with an expert recruiting and staffing agency in Charleston, SC, for example, you can access people with specialized skills for immediate needs and when the project or need is over, those workers move on to a new project at a new organization.
If your company is growing, you can also lean on an expert staffing company for recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), relieving the burden of recruiting from your internal HR team, freeing them for more strategic roles. RPO is a great way to control recruiting costs while accessing a full team of recruitment experts.
Who Wants to Work in An Office?
According to a study by The Wellbeing Lab and George Mason University’s Center for the Advancement of Wellbeing, a mere 21% of American workers feel positive about returning to work in an office post-pandemic. They cite many reasons, ranging from fears for their health to their new discovery of flexible work options.
While some employers will surely pivot to remote-first work environments, telecommuting isn’t always the best option for every job or every company. But finding people who will accept an onsite job won’t be easy.
The good news? Research has also found that nearly 50% of workers who had been back to their workplaces often over the past few months were significantly more likely to feel positive about returning to work.
How Can You Attract People Back to the Office?
Many employers are attempting remote-onside hybrid arrangements. There are myriad ways to make this happen. Some employers have turned their offices into something resembling coworking spaces where a set number of employees can sign up to be in the office on any given day.
Some offices are also taking a split-schedule approach. Employees are divided into groups. For example, an A, B, and C group, and those groups are designated to work in-office on specific days. You can schedule those days out through the month, or you can assign an A week a B week and C week, etc.
It’s also worthwhile to consider monetary incentives to entice people to accept onsite work. These can be structured into the compensation program or as bonuses. Be sure to check with your legal advisor on how to fairly structure any type of onsite incentive program, however, so as not to inadvertently discriminate against parents or protected classes.
However, you choose to entice people to accept onsite work, advertise incentives and perks associated with such a work arrangement. Getting the details out upfront will allow people to self-select out of the process and will increase the odds you will attract workers who want to return to an office. If you want help in crafting effective job descriptions, lean on an expert staffing agency in Greenville SC for advice.
Employers Are Too Focused on A-Players
Your company invests a lot of time, money and resources into hiring A-level talent. And while it is most logical to want to attract and higher the upper echelon of candidates, pursuing nothing but A-players can actually be a waste of resources.
A-level employees make tremendous contributions to organizational performance, but according to the Harvard Business Review, an organization’s long-term performance depends much more on the consistent commitment and contributions of its B-level players.
How could this be? First, B-players counterbalance the ambitions of high-performing and ambitious A-players who aren’t satisfied in their current role and are always looking two steps ahead. B-players tend to keep their heads down and focus on their core responsibilities, providing a foundation of stability. They are a wheel that never squeaks, and never needs to be greased. They make few demands, can be counted on for consistent quality of work and unlike their A-player counterparts who typically focus on “what’s good for me,” B-players focus on “what’s good for the company,” when making decisions.
There are certain roles where you should focus on A-players, but for many jobs, you and the organization would be much better off focusing efforts on recruiting tried-and-true B-players who will make valuable, long-term contributions in their role.
Shift Your Mindset to Access Great Candidates
This type of hiring requires a shift in mindset. Hiring managers don’t typically high-five one another when they have a B-player in the pipeline. But when you think of these candidates as providing long-term value, you’ll want to open your hiring process to them. Rather than screening people out because they don’t check off every box on your wish list, take a more holistic approach and view the candidate from a distance. Broaden your requirements and screen someone in who has the right level of experience, who has shown consistency and made valuable contributions.
Remember, not everyone can be a rock star. Balanced teams need supporting players who can carry the load no matter what comes down the pike.
The Employees You are Looking for Aren’t Looking for You
Whether the job market is in a state of boom or bust, it is challenging to recruit, hire and retain exceptional talent because the best workers tend to be gainfully employed and are not actively seeking out new opportunities.
In uncertain economic conditions, talented people who have jobs can be reluctant to entertain new opportunities because they worry about long-term stability. They may fear giving up their current role where they feel secure for a role with a new company where they will be the low man on the totem pole, tenure-wise.
However, if your company is stable and has a strong market position, there is no reason why you can’t attract these passive job seekers. It just takes time and effort.
Understand Passive Candidates’ Motivations
First, you must understand what would motivate someone to invest the time to interview with you and potentially make a move. However, every person is unique, and you never know exactly what will motivate someone.
Even though everyone has unique priorities, the most common motivators for passive talent are:
- Higher pay
- Great benefits
- Career development opportunities
- Clear paths for advancement
- Work-life balance
- Opportunities to work on exciting projects
Since you don’t know what specifically motivates a particular candidate, try to touch on all of these points when reaching out and having initial conversations about your company.
Once you’ve managed to attract the attention and interest of a passive candidate, they will want to take time to research your company. Passive candidates aren’t facing pressure to make a move, so they have plenty of time to dive deep into your organization to learn about your history, profitability, market position, reputation, company culture and more.
Build Your Employer Brand
What will passive candidates find when they begin their research online? Google your company to take a look at what they might potentially see. If you aren’t impressed with the results, you’ll want to spend time building a better presence. You can do that by:
- Investing in a social media strategy
- Improving your company website
- Creating a section on that website that showcases company culture
- Submitting press releases about company achievement to local business journals
- Publicizing internal promotions and other employee achievements
To attract passive candidates and keep their interest, you want to paint a clear picture that your company is a great place to work.
Passive Recruiting Is A Long Game
As you develop a passive recruiting strategy, be mindful that it is a marathon, not a sprint. You need to work three steps ahead, recruiting for roles that may need to be filled months down the line, rather than filling immediate openings. If you’re hoping to find a passive candidate for a current opening and you do not currently have a pipeline of passive talent in place, you likely won’t succeed. Passive recruiting is a long game that can require weeks if not months of relationship nurturing, so manage your expectations accordingly.
Fortunately, there is a way to tap into a robust passive candidate network immediately. Expert recruiters and Temp agencies in Charleston, SC come to the table with a pipeline of passive candidates ready to explore great new opportunities. Forming a partnership allows you to tap into that well-established network and effectively locate your ideal candidate.
Overcome Recruiting Challenges with an Expert Staffing and Recruiting Partner
The challenges that HR and recruiting teams face are real, but by building a strategic partnership with an expert staffing and recruiting firm, you can instantly begin to overcome those challenges and regain your competitive edge.
If you are ready to improve your staffing, recruiting and hiring processes, talk to the experts at Dunhill Staffing Systems today. We are a recruiting and temporary staffing agency headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina. Serving a nationwide client base, Dunhill helps companies of all sizes overcome their staffing, recruiting and workforce challenges. Contact our team to learn how we can help you access the right people at the right time.
