Landing the Best Employees in a Candidate’s Market

By Tammy Henry

Unemployment rates are staggeringly low, and it could be argued that everyone who wants to work is doing so. How does that affect employers who need to fill open positions? The answer is… a whole lot.

When seats stay empty for weeks or months because there are no job candidates to fill them, productivity, efficiency, and even company culture suffer. Morale can plummet because of over-worked employees, and it can create an all-round negative environment.

Luckily, there are ways to decrease the ripple effect of a sparse applicant pool.

Don’t get stuck with open positions or settle for less-than-stellar people to fill them. Plan ahead to make sure you can still land the best employees, even if it is a candidate’s market.

Nail the Job Description

If your hiring process is a journey, the job description is an HR professional’s roadmap. Slapping one together to try to move quickly can backfire with a stack of resumes that doesn’t fit what you really need.

Job descriptions should have plenty of details about the requirements of the position and the skills needed to do the work properly. After reading it, candidates should have a clear understanding of the position and whether they are qualified. Don’t let descriptions get stale, because jobs evolve and morph from year to year. Make certain all your company’s descriptions are accurate and up to date, so you begin with a good pool of resumes.

Spice Up the Benefits

Millennials especially love benefits and a strong package can entice them to accept a job even if they could pull down more money somewhere else. Plain old health and dental packages aren’t going to woo the candidate you might want the most. Get creative! Think about customized benefits like taking care of student loan debt, offering vision care, and increasing PTO days. Even small benefits, like casual dress, bring your dog to work, or provided lunch on Fridays go a long way toward looking better than your competition. Yes, these are company expenses, but they are programs that build employee morale and inspire loyalty so you don’t face vacant positions as much as you might now.

Another big way to land candidates is….

Be Flexible

Flexibility is number one on most employees’ wish lists. The ability to work from home and fluid vacation days often attracts more higher performers than a fat salary! In addition, options like job-share and projects that allow cross-departmental communication can entice high-quality job applicants to opt for your job over the other ones they are considering.

Tend Your Candidates Like Flowers

Gone are the days when job seekers sat by their computers waiting for an offer email. In this hot job market, they just go find a different one! Critically evaluate your candidate experience and address the weak points. Are your hiring managers respectful of the applicant’s time? Are they friendly and welcoming? Do they explain the next step, so the candidate isn’t languishing in the dark, wondering what’s next? Another important factor is to find a background screening partner with quick turnaround times. Making your top choice wait in limbo for 2 weeks while the background report is completed might force him or her to accept a different position at another company.

The candidate experience should be flawless from the first contact through onboarding.

Showcase Growth Opportunities

When job candidates see potential to grow and advance, they’re more likely to choose that path than one where they’ll be stuck doing the same thing for years down the road. From the first touch (job description) through the interview, learning, growth, and advancement opportunities need to be clarified and highlighted. If a job seeker is weighing two or three offers, and everything else is equal, the one with the greatest capacity for growth potential will almost always be the one they choose.

Amp Up Your Giving

It’s not just a benefit to talk about your company’s benevolence, it’s almost a requirement these days. Modern job seekers want to be a part of making a difference, and this includes working at a place that cares about the less fortunate, the environment, and the good of the world in general. Add conversations about paid volunteer days, coat drives, and other participation in good causes into the interviewing process. Make your applicants feel like it would feel good working at your organization, and you’ll edge out the competitors that aren’t as generous and philanthropic.

Finding and landing quality hires in the current low-unemployment environment may be challenging, but it’s not impossible. A little creativity, polish, and commitment to efficiency can increase your company’s chances of snagging your top choices for the positions you need to fill. Use these actionable tips and you will see that you CAN still hire the best employees available, even in a candidate’s market.