We have a tough labor market today. Qualified candidates are often already employed, and companies have to scramble to fill vacant positions. The pool of workers that are left might not fit your needs, which leaves you trying to fill the same position over and over again. This is true of temporary placements as well: you might need to fill a position for 6 months, but you find that you can’t hold onto a temp for more than a month because the good temporary workers keep getting lured away to more permanent positions. You can avoid this problem by making your company attractive to the right applicants, to begin with. Here are some tips that Boutique Recruiting has found helpful:
Exactitude In Your Job Description
The number one way to attract people who cannot do the job is to advertise the position in inaccurate terms.
The first step in avoiding this is contacting the people who are filling the role now or would be the direct supervisor of the person in that role. See if you and the supervisor can create a ‘day-in-the-life’ description for someone who gets the job. List the duties involved, the software used, and the skills required in as much detail as you can manage before you write up your job posting. Don’t forget to talk a little about the culture of your company: is yours a button-down blouse and skirt sort of place or is it a tank top and shorts sort of place? You do not have to include your mission statement in the job description- a candidate can find that online if they really want to know it. However, a two-sentence summary of your goals and processes will help your potential candidate decide if this will work out for the entire time that you need him or her.
If you are working with a staffing agency, the people doing the recruiting will appreciate the accuracy as it will help them screen for the correct attributes when they are trying to place someone.
Don’t Forget The Perks
There are a couple of reasons people change jobs. The most pressing one is that the new job offers better benefits and salary than the old one. Another reason is that the new position allows for a better work-life balance. When you figure out the benefits for the jobs you want to be filled, think about how you can compensate a good employee and how you can do it better than the other companies. It will also help your placement agency sell working for your company when they proactively recruit talent for you.
The first step here is to keep abreast of industry standards in your area. If you are looking for an administrative assistant in Southern California, you should look up what the standard pay and perquisites are for that position on job boards and industry groups. You can ask your placement agency for help with this. Reformulate your pay scales and benefits packages at least once a year to make sure you are staying ahead of the curve.
Use Social Media
Our world is a transparent one, and your employees are on social media sites talking about your company already. Harness this. A good potential candidate will be checking you out through these websites, and you can impress them by announcing employee events through them. Keep up your Facebook page and website, and respond to the comments on job rating websites when you find them. Talk about your companies projects online to the extent that you can. You have nothing to hide- let them find out about you.
A good placement agency will post your job listing online and use social media sites to recruit people. You can ask them about their strategy and what sites they are using to make sure you are on the same page as they.
There are many things to think about when engaged in talent acquisition. If you would like help filing your empty positions, contact us. Boutique Recruiting specializes in finding people for financial, administrative, and accounting positions, and we cultivate networks of people to find the perfect fit for your business.
