It’s on (almost) every call we have with clients – how can I find better quality candidates?!
Not everything is in your control, but a lot of it is!
Let’s jump right in – what can you really do?
Don’t Attract EVERY Available Candidate
Let’s use a pizza analogy – some customers want a New York-style (flat) pizza, and some want a Chicago-style (deep dish) pizza. And those pizza restaurants want to attract different customers! They don’t want a customer who wants a deep-dish pizza to buy a flat pizza. That customer would be unhappy.
Why do staffing agencies do the exact opposite with all aspects of their recruiting?
Start at the job level – does your open job require overtime? Does your open job require working on weekends? Does your open job offer four 10-hour shifts on Monday through Thursday?
Those could be the same candidate or three different candidates – and that’s OK!
Focus on recruiting the candidate that matches the job opening and what is successful in that job opening – first at the details level and then at the overall company/employer brand level.
Let’s Talk About That Employer Brand
Candidates still have choices.
Unemployment continues to be low (under 4% for the longest stretch in decades) while job openings are still growing. It’s less of a disparity than it was in 2021, but it’s still challenging to find the candidates you want for your open positions.
Employer branding is getting a big push at the start of 2024. What do we mean by employer branding? Let’s shift that to the employee value proposition – what does the employee get for working with your company?
It’s flipping the company-employee relationship on its head, but it’s vitally important to understand. A candidate can look at your staffing company, or they could look at another staffing company. They could look at similar jobs in your market – whether it’s based on skill/industry, pay rate, schedule, etc.
So, what does the candidate get from working with your company? Is it just top-of-the-line pay rates? Is it career development? Is it a new skill?
Showcase that – not just in the job posting, but on your website, on your social media, and in your day-to-day interactions with candidates.
Make candidates aware – everywhere they interact with your company – what they will get from choosing to work for you.
What Does Quality Mean to You?
Every company has a different definition of quality candidates:
- Just meeting the actual qualifications and requirements of the job
- Passing an initial phone screening
- Sending out the candidate to the actual employer
- Being hired
It’s important to have that metric of quality defined for your company. You want to know how many applications each position needs from your company to get to that hire, understanding the totals at each stage of the process.
Attracting the right candidate with a strong employer brand should improve those ratios. If you get applications from candidates interested in your company, you should need fewer initial applications to get to the hire. If you’re just posting and praying, then complaining, that initial number of applications will be much higher.
Haley Marketing Is Here To Help
Looking for strategies and tactics to help your staffing company reach its business goals? The recruitment marketing team at Haley Marketing is here to help you find that success! Contact our team today to get started.
