Are you in the process of hiring or thinking about hiring? Don’t click away just yet; this may just be that invaluable read that you need.
Recently as I was browsing the Web for insights and trends within the recruitment landscape, I found some interesting insights worth sharing. According to a recent report by LinkedIn, New Zealand has lower than global average levels of active talent, which means it is classified as a market that is not currently easy for businesses to recruit staff. So in short, it is a candidate-favoured market and in order to stay ahead of the game, employers need to strategise how to attract and hire the best talent in New Zealand.
The big question then is what can you do to attract those 31% of active potential employees? In my humble opinion, simply providing candidates with an insight into what it would be like to work at your company on a daily basis can be a huge advantage. This is not limited to but includes:
Culture and values
What are the company culture and values? To be honest it may be hard to summarise to an outsider just what your brand or company culture is like. How are you supposed to portray what it’s like to someone who hasn’t spent time within the organisation? Before beginning the recruitment process why not seek some help from your current employees, because both in my research and experience candidates state that what they really want to know is what other employees have to say about the organisation.
In your plans to communicate to a potential candidate whether it be an advert or during an interview, it is recommended to always set the expectations from the start, not just on what the company wants the role to be but from another employees’ perspective. Not only does this deliver more information on the company culture but also assists with building trust for what is hopefully a long career within your organisation. I always advise that you speak honestly about the day-to-day to give the candidate a visual on what to expect so that they can make an informed decision.
A quick tip I always recommend is to team up in internal interviews, especially with the second or final interview. Ask a team member from a similar work level to come along and have a casual interview chat over a coffee or a walk to coffee. This discussion will enable the employer and potential employee to know more about each other in a relaxed setting, again understanding more about the workplace culture and hopefully enhance the recruitment enjoyment factor.
Leadership and career progression
Candidates also want to know, what is in it for me? Let’s be real, who doesn’t! In New Zealand the main reason why people look for new roles is firstly they feel a lack of appreciation and secondly a lack of a pathway for career and personal development. Potential employees should always ask questions around the leadership style of the team and the career pathway for the particular role. Call me Captain Obvious, but what is becoming increasingly important is that organisations have a strong people and performance management system. Whether it be weekly one-on-one meetings, monthly reviews or quarterly KPI assessments, it is important to be clear on expectations and ensure that everyone, including interviewees have an understanding of the guidelines as well as the rewards and recognition system.
Location
Location is often cited as a sticking point for high-level talent and is quite often overlooked by the employer. Let’s face it, the world we live in is busy and if an hour commute in Auckland can be avoided, we would all avoid it at any cost. In adverts or during interviews always mention the area of the office. If you feel it is a less desirable area mention ‘free parking’ or ‘bus passes paid for’ to ensure accessibility for employees. Also be sure to include key details about the office environment. Mentioning the local cafes, free coffee, free pizza Fridays, Uber accounts, free breakfast, or whatever you have going for your workplace, is not a bad idea. In fact we encourage it as it is these types of things that help build the excitement and highlights how people are highly valued.
Real expectations
From time to time we find that our dream job as it was described in the position description does not match the reality. This isn’t cool. It is important that potential employees not only have a clear picture of what to expect but that they are also informed on the expected outcomes. Position descriptions can tend to be rather dry with less focus on the outcome of the role. To provide a clear picture to potential team members I suggest providing a day-to-day account or a day in the life of a person in a similar role. Additionally, a discussion on the expected outcomes is always necessary.
In my opinion it is important during interviews to discuss key workplace factors such as hours of work, style of leadership within the team, decision making capability, client facing time, pay levels, training resources and the expected career journey from the role with a focus on the short and long term expected outcomes.
I would be really happy to hear from both candidate and employers about what you think attracts you to a potential employer?
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