As pandemic restrictions are eased and memories of COVID lockdowns fade, UK employers move into a new, adapted ‘normal’, watchful of how the Great Resignation has affected their businesses. The latest figures from the ONS continue to support the view that the UK job market favours job seekers over employers. With a record 1,295,000 job vacancies outnumbering unemployed candidates and job-to-job movement continuing to be driven by resignation instead of dismissal, it seems that employers must adapt their approach to recruitment if they want to access a wider pool of talent. Our partners at JobLookup. share some thoughts on how employers can access a wider pool of talent
Offer more flexibility
Flexible working is no longer a ‘would like to have’ for workers; nowadays, it’s a ‘must have’ if employers want to attract talented candidates. For many businesses and employees, lockdown conditions provided plenty of evidence that flexible working was an effective approach. Whether that was remote working, hybrid working, or reducing hours, flexible working has become part of our new normal.
By offering flexible working, employers open the doors to candidates who otherwise might not have applied, for instance, parents and carers who need to work from home for at least part of the week or candidates who don’t live locally but are keen to work remotely.
Provide a variety of entry routes
The obvious route into employment with a business is recruitment. A candidate applies for a job and is hired. However, there are other ways to nurture relationships with potential employees.
The first option is to offer an apprenticeship route into employment. This can be an ideal way to attract entry level employees who can earn as they work towards a qualification. The benefit to an employer is the chance to develop a workforce with the right skills and qualifications.
The second option is an internship. An internship offers experience in a work environment and usually within a specific role. Generally, internships are offered to graduates, students undertaking a degree, sixth form students, and college students. There are no strict rules about the length of an internship; it may last for one week or one year. Generally, interns will be paid for their time.
The third option is to offer work experience opportunities to young people. These might be school pupils, students in further education, or unemployed young people. These generally last from one to eight weeks in length.
The benefit to employers of offering internships and work experience opportunities is the chance to nurture talented individuals pre-recruitment and give back to the community.
Take a fresh look at job adverts and descriptions
Even the best written and most well-explained job description and job advert can hide unconscious assumptions and factors that exclude or dissuade applicants.
Job adverts and descriptions should be written with an eye on all the elements of diversity that may relate to candidates, for instance, their age, gender, parental status, or education level. The language used should be neutral, with no preference towards one group over another, and written plainly to be understood by candidates at all levels of literacy.
Use a variety of candidate sources
To ensure that as wide and diverse a talent pool as possible is reached, employers should advertise vacancies across a variety of relevant online sites. These might include:
- the employer’s website
- social media channels
- job boards
- professional websites, for instance, ACCA for accountants
What about offline candidate sources? Careers fairs, conferences, and networking meet-ups can provide an excellent opportunity to meet prospective candidates too.
Encourage staff referrals
One way to source ideal candidates without the time and expense of advertising a vacancy is to ask for referrals from existing employees. The benefits of asking for staff referrals are:
- the employee is familiar with the company culture and aware of who would be a good fit
- the employee is familiar with the candidate and aware of their suitability for the role and the company
- including existing employees in the recruitment process aids their feelings of inclusion and increases their engagement
Employers can encourage their workforce to suggest potential candidates by creating an employee referral programme with a bonus payment or vouchers for successful referrals.
Promote company culture on social media
With much of the world visiting the online arena daily, it has never been easier for employers to maintain their brand visibility and promote their company culture.
Candidates want to know how an employer will treat them and whether the company’s values are a good fit before they apply. Employers can demonstrate all of this by:
- making sure that their website reflects the company and is up-to-date
- promoting their involvement in the community through local initiatives
- maintaining an active blog that demonstrates the company’s expertise and culture
- telling the company’s story
- introducing people who work for the company at all levels
- maintaining a consistent social media presence
Final Thoughts
If the pandemic and resulting new normal has shown employers anything, it is the importance of their workforce. To attract best fit candidates, UK employers must adapt their view of what constitutes the ideal employee for each vacancy and embrace the diversity of a wider talent pool.
Author biography:
Fi Phillips, Freelance Copywriter working with JobLookup. Fi specialises in blog posts and web articles about the world of work and business. She is especially interested in how the pandemic has changed our attitudes to work-life balance and career development.
