As an increasing number of workers reconsidering what they want from their career drives the great resignation trend in the UK, it has never been more important that employers find a way to work effectively with recruiters. With a burgeoning number of vacancies to be filled post-lockdown and a workforce that knows it has the upper hand, employers are finding themselves competing against not only other companies but also candidate expectations. This is where the expertise of recruitment companies can prove essential.
So how can an employer improve this key relationship over and above simply providing a job description?
Explain the company culture
In the current employment climate, recruitment can’t simply be a case of finding the best fit candidate for the job description. The challenge of employee retention in light of the great resignation means that the candidate must also be a good fit for the company’s culture.
One of the easiest ways to ensure that both of these factors – best fit for the job and the company – are addressed is to explain the company culture to the recruiter. What are the company’s values and goals? What is the staffing and management structure? What type of personality thrives within the company?
Familiarity with the company culture enables a recruiter to carry out a more rounded search for the best fit candidate.
Keep talking
Many employers still see an external recruiter as an anonymous function to be used when needed, rather than a business partner with whom an ongoing relationship can be developed. Instead of simply instructing a recruiter when a vacancy occurs, an employer will generally find greater value in maintaining a conversation with them.
For instance,
- A recruiter who is up to date with developments in the company structure and connected staffing requirements is in an ideal position to identify suitable jobseekers, regardless of whether the employer has a current vacancy.
- As an expert in the employment market, a recruiter can notify an employer of developments in specific career areas or industries.
- Maintaining a conversation prevents the need to refresh the recruiter’s knowledge each time an employer instructs them with a new vacancy to fill.
Hiring new staff is an altogether more straightforward process when an employer has access to specialist advice from a recruiter who knows the company inside and out.
Create better job descriptions
An effective job description should serve all of the following purposes:
- inform the candidate what is expected of them to fulfil the role and demonstrate whether they meet the job requirements
- assist recruitment personnel, whether internal or external, in finding the best candidate
- form one element of the related legally binding employment conditions
- assist in the future performance evaluation of the candidate who fills the vacancy
It is important that job descriptions be written with these four purposes in mind, but the following factors must also be considered:
What’s in it for the candidate?
If the great resignation has resulted in a workforce who want more from their job and their employer, whether that is more career development, more salary, or more choice, then it is imperative that a job description clearly shows how the employee will benefit from that role:
- salary package
- defined career path
- training and professional development opportunities
- what part the role plays in the smooth running of the company
The job description should make it clear why the candidate would apply for this role over vacancies with other companies.
Where does the role sit in the company?
The job description should make it clear where the role sits in relation to the department, other departments, and the company overall. What lines of communication is the role subject to? Who does it report to, and who reports to it?
It is no longer acceptable to simply write about the role in isolation; instead, the job description should outline the importance of the role in the company structure.
Include information on the company
Candidates are not only interested in the job itself; they also want to know who employs them and whether that employer’s values meet with their own. The job description should therefore include a description of the company, including its history, values and missions, and place within its industry.
Assess and re-assess
Job descriptions should be assessed before a recruitment process begins and re-assessed on a regular basis. There are countless reasons why the details of a job description may change. For instance, the current move to hybrid working by many companies will obviously affect the number of hours spent in the workplace but may also alter other aspects of a job, such as how meetings are attended or communications with clients. Alternatively, changes to office systems can equally alter the way a job is carried out.
The recruiter should always be informed of any changes and have an up to date version of the job description.
Recruit with an eye on the future
Recruiting for a role in isolation to the company’s future is rarely a good move. However, working with a recruiter who is familiar with the company culture and the way in which the company plans to develop will guard against recruitment dead-ends, such as:
- hiring new members of staff for a department that will be closed down
- hiring new employees who are unwilling to move for a team that is likely to be relocated
- hiring employees who don’t have the leadership potential to move up in the company
Employers who take the time to discuss how the company’s future plans will affect their workforce are more likely to recruit a workforce who suits the company now and also in the years to come.
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.
