According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate is 4.0%. PEOPLE ARE WORKING, which means the job market is tightening.
A tight job market creates competition in the workforce, but a much different one from recent years. Rather than multiple candidates vying for positions because of limited availability, there is now a surplus of positions and not enough candidates to fill them. This gives candidates much more flexibility in their job selection.
How can your organization become more competitive in a candidate’s job market?
Re-evaluate your interview process. Is your selection process is too lengthy? If so, it may be time to tighten up. In years past, organizations had time and a plethora of candidates on their side. Many organizations now, are moving more hurriedly to seize great candidates and to eliminate competition.
Are you ‘selling’ the company and opportunity? Candidates are now looking for more well-rounded opportunities, that include growth, company perks and LTI’s.
Set realistic expectations and do not “over-interview”. We know, you’re looking for a unicorn in a purple rainforest with golden hooves. Once a viable candidate has been identified, it can become surreal that you’ve FINALLY found them. Because of this, companies get overzealous and go overboard with the interview process, which can give a candidate an uneasy feeling about moving forward.
Construct an accurate job description which include responsibilities and expectations of the role. Job descriptions are difficult to build. How much information is too much or too little? Get a consensus from the current team to see if they agree or disagree with the developed job description. Doing so, could provide better insight not only from management but from the individual contributors that make up the team.
Organize a sound interview. A chaotic interview comprised of missing professionals, unprepared interviewers or extended wait periods, are just a few things that candidates begin to measure a company’s attractiveness.
Only invite the necessary. It becomes an overwhelming experience when too many people are involved in the interview process. To keep things simple, only invite the essential professionals to the process.
From the beginning, T. Burks & Associates was built differently. In 2006, we started on the simple premise that clients AND candidates deserved a more personalized approach to talent acquisition. So, we built a company committed to delivering just that: Introduce Amazing Talent to Amazing Companies so they’ll both do AMAZING things.
Specializing in the recruitment of engineering, supply chain and manufacturing operation professionals, we recognize trends, know the best and take time to develop credible relationships.
Whether your organization is focused on Executive, Diversity or College Recruiting, we’re here to establish AMAZING!