Sustainable Solutions Series Edition #2: Candidate Experience

How do you effectively and sensitively attract and retain applicants during the recruitment process, instead of having to make a peace offering of a large salary at the end of a tedious journey?

In response to the recent Labour Market Statistics, this series will offer examples of ways in which recruiters and employers can thrive during low candidate availability. In this, the second of our series of articles demonstrating how you can manage the dwindling talent pool, we explore the lasting value of creating a good candidate experience.

A candidate’s experience is one of the most powerful tools of retention in the Hiring Manager’s arsenal. It is the quality of their recruitment journey, from beginning to look for work to settling in at their new job, and the relationship their prospective employer builds with them throughout that journey. First impressions can make or break a working relationship, and hiring managers must put themselves in their shoes to empathise with their goals and anxieties.

An excellent candidate experience will include:

• A well designed, interesting career site which promotes you as an employer and clearly communicates your Employment Value Proposition (EVP)
• A compelling advert which promotes the features of the role and is clear on the skills and experience required
• Enthusiastic and reassuring Hiring Managers who are trained in interview skills
• Useful guides, blogs and eBooks explaining, for example, how to prepare for interviews
• Making it easy to search and apply for the position
• Acknowledgement of their application
• Human interaction as well as automated messages 

By implementing these factors, you can ensure your candidate’s peace of mind. This is not something to be underestimated; 42% of candidates who receive a poor candidate experience will never seek employment with you again. In the current climate, no one can afford to lose perfectly good talent to such avoidable things as a late phone call or an apathetic tone of voice.

The optimum achievement is that, during the interview, your candidate feels like you want them to be themselves. Rather than having to jump through invisible hoops to appear to be the person that you are looking for, the candidate should feel comfortable and prepared. If you can help them to feel assured and confident enough to be themselves, then you are sure to receive a more accurate self-portrait of your prospective employee.

Fish Where The Fish Are (Part 2) – 3 principles for managing your company LinkedIn page

In the first part of this blog series we have established the importance of a company LinkedIn page, and we can now create implementation guidelines to ensure it is being optimised. As a general rule, your profile should produce relevant and interesting content that rewards followers for connecting with you. Adhering to the following 3 principles will hopefully aid you in maximising the effectiveness of your LinkedIn activity.

1. Blogging

Blogging is one of the most effective forms of content that your page can generate. A connection is made between companies and people, creating a dialogue that engages followers and invites their input. Around 77% of internet users read blogs and it is a great way to generate a reputation as a ‘thought leader’, connoting credibility. The aim is to produce relevant material containing original content taking the form of expert advice. It is also important to blog regularly as research shows that after 21-54 posts, blog traffic increases by up to 30%.

For the sceptics, blogging has quantifiable benefits too. 57% of companies have acquired at least one customer from a blog; primarily due to generating an increase in site visits and SEO, ultimately resulting in leads. It is important that employees understand the strategic benefits of blogging, as a feature will soon be available that allows all LinkedIn users to post their own blogs.

2. Advertising

A company LinkedIn page is effectively an advert for your business; it is therefore paramount that it is visually engaging, up to date and content rich. It can be argued that promotion is most effective when the source appears to have no relation to the company, so if interesting content is shared or commented upon by a user this is perceived as a hugely authentic form of advertising.
Whilst the profile’s main picture will simply be your company logo, it is important to make the most of the banner at the top with content such as powerful imagery or a striking piece of promotional material.  LinkedIn has unique ways to advertise your page and business. These often include placing an individuals LinkedIn profile photo within the advert to draw peoples attention (as pictured). One of the most effective forms of this is a prompt to follow a company after you have visited their page.

Informative adverts, particularly job postings, are great for driving traffic to your page and obtaining new followers. This is even more effective when LinkedIn’s ‘target advertising ’ features are utilised, enabling adverts to be tailored to specific audiences based on criteria including industry, seniority, job function and location. If a job posting or advert is relevant, or in some cases leads to a transaction (or job), a person is much more likely to follow your page.

3. Integration

As well as advertising your company, your page has to advertise your brand’s various other formats and promote these. Firstly, ‘calls to action’ should be included to all of your social media outlets, usually in the form of logo banners, as this allows one-click access increasing the likelihood of a connection. Emails can also be used in this way and should utilise the businesses’

CRM database to target relevant recipients. In addition, blogs and similar content posted from your LinkedIn should always be published on your website, as sites containing 401-1000 web pages get six times more leads than those with 51-100 pages. Connecting your blog to multiple social media outlets will also greatly increase traffic to your various platforms.

Webcast – “Building Your Follower Ecosystem and What This Means for You” Tuesday, July 22, 2014 11.00am - 11.30am - LinkedIn
Blog – “7 Steps to LinkedIn Publishing Success” - Siofra Pratt, July 15, 2014 – Social Talent - http://www.socialtalent.co/blog/7-steps-linkedin-publishing-success#sthash.EwI9ZYU4.dpuf
Blog & Infographic – “12 Things to do after you publish a blog on LinkedIn” – Siofra Pratt (Blog), Jonathan Campbell (Infographic), July 18, 2014 – Social Talent
http://www.linkedin.com/e/v2?e=sfgwh-hxx8yz7g-2a&t=gde&midToken=AQFukgoFaDbjjQ&ek=b2_anet_digest&li=2&m=group_discussions&ts=grouppost-disc-0&itemID=5896897403956506627&anetID=3886435&itemType=member
Blog – “55 Blogging Statistics and Facts Everyone Should Know”- Samantha Durant, July 10, 2013 - Impact - http://www.impactbnd.com/blogging-statistics-55-reasons-blogging-creates-55-more-traffic
- See more at: http://resourcemanagementrsg.blogspot.co.uk/#.dpuf

High Risk, High Reward (Part 1): 5 reasons people are choosing temporary work

The landscape of the employment market is changing. As more people become freelancers, contractors and agency workers, job security becomes less of a priority. According to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s (REC) 2014 report, 36% of people have been temporarily employed at some point and 1.7 million currently work this way. So what is attracting people to this dynamic lifestyle?

1. Could not find permanent work

For many, temporary work is a necessity, not a choice. Amongst other demographics, the over 45s, inexperienced graduates and those with long periods of unemployment are most likely to experience this.

However, a growing number refuse to settle permanently for anything less than their ideal role. For these people, temporary work offers the opportunity to get a ‘foot in the door’ with companies they wish to work for permanently. It is a chance to prove themselves and enhance their CV with directly relevant experience.

2:  The desire to find work and to earn money quickly

Being placed swiftly and paid weekly is a common motivator. Businesses are far more likely to employ temporary workers where they can, as the cost of hire is significantly less than for permanent workers. Whilst permanent roles require extensive checks and referrals, temporary employees can often be placed within a week, appealing particularly to young job-seekers and graduates.

3: Higher earning potential and supplementation of income

According to the REC report, the general consensus amongst temporary workers is that in temporary employment, you are paid for your value as opposed to a flat rate. Many skilled specialists opt for temporary employment due to higher earning potential, dependant on their skill. This trend is common amongst nurses and IT professionals; one IT specialist stated, “I can ‘temp’ for three months and earn what I do in a permanent role in four to five”.

13% of contractors work temporarily to supplement their income following insufficient hours in another job. On the contrary, some are keen to maximise an already sufficient income.

4. Flexibility

Flexible working hours empower people to take control of their lifestyle and enable a customisable work-life balance. 25% of temporary workers do so for flexibility based benefits:

·         11% of people utilise flexible working to look after children or dependant adults. For many, flexible working allows them to prioritise care on the understanding that occasionally they may have to miss or rearrange shifts on short notice.

·         For some, a more gradual shift to retirement is a serious benefit. Elderly temporary workers can enjoy an incremental reduction of work and the freedom to refuse more physically challenging projects if they choose.

·         14% of people seek flexibility in order to pursue interests or hobbies (i.e. studying).

However, permanent work is likely to also become more flexible in the near future, thanks to the new flexible working laws. You can read The HR World's blog on these changes here.

5. Independent working

For many reasons, 14% of workers simply don’t want to work for someone else. For example, organisational politics can adversely affect learning and development, progression and motivation. The brief nature of temporary arrangements can nullify this effect. Many individuals work better independently, and others simply aren’t ‘corporate people’, seeing loyalty to a business as a disadvantage.

So with all these benefits and opportunities, why do temporary workers still only contribute around 5% of the workforce? The risks and pitfalls are explored in High Risk, High Reward: Part 2.

Facts and figures taken from: Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) Report – “Flex Appeal: Why freelancers, contractors and agency workers choose to work this way”