It’s a new year, but many companies are facing familiar challenges when it comes to finding top talent. Some organizations are meeting these challenges head on with innovative hiring and onboarding practices.
Not surprisingly, the ball dropping on 2023 has not magically made all the “Help Wanted” signs disappear. Customers continue to experience long wait times, product fulfillment problems, and unpredictable business hours while companies try to fill open positions. Recruiters continue to experience candidate ghosting, low applicant response, and high turnover.
With talent pools drying up and candidates receiving (and rejecting) multiple offers, hiring managers and recruiters are feeling the pressure to constantly pivot to find the right people and bring them onboard.
According to a country-by-country analysis conducted by global organizational consulting firm Korn Ferry, “…by 2030, there will be a global human talent shortage of more than 85 million people…” The shortage seems mostly linked to demographic shifts. Some countries have been seeing declining birth rates. In the US, Baby Boomers are retiring before their replacements can acquire the experience needed to take over.
Here are some of the trends HR professionals are embracing to overcome these hurdles.
1. Recruitment marketing
With a projected 6-million-person labor deficit in the US alone, job seekers have more options than ever, and employers need to find ways to stand out from the competition.
According to Page Up, the objective of recruitment marketing is not just to connect with more candidates but better candidates. To do this, more organizations are using the same strategies they use when attracting clients to attract candidates.
This includes developing an employer brand, tailoring campaigns to open positions, and creating warm leads (prospective recruits) which can be tapped as soon as positions open.
2. Simplifying the initial application process
Reducing barriers between applicants and employers is another popular tack recruiters are taking. It’s still important to vet candidates properly and gather the pertinent information, but the initial outreach doesn’t need to be overly complicated, especially with advances in technology. Some ways to make things simpler include:
- Avoiding duplicate requests for information. A common complaint among job seekers is being asked to upload a resume and then copy the same information from the resume into an application. Consider starting with a barebones application (name and contact information), plus a place to upload a resume and cover letter, for the initial screening. Once applicants have passed the first round of reviews, you can request more information, send pre-employment assessment links, and ask clarifying questions.
- Working through sites like Indeed or LinkedIn to allow candidates to apply quickly via the same site where they saw the posting.
- Going mobile friendly. Many job seekers are doing most of their research on their phones. Make sure they can easily apply on mobile devices.
3. Hiring for soft skills
While selecting candidates whose experience matches the position will always be the ideal, that’s not always possible. You can’t attract what doesn’t exist. As a result, there has been new focus on targeting candidates who have favorable soft skills with the plan to train them on the job.
Behavioral assessments like the Omnia Assessment (a quick and powerful word selection tool) can help you match candidates’ traits to the ones that best suit the position, like leadership, communication, problem solving, and flexibility. Preemployment assessments can also help you compare the personalities of your top performers with applicants.
4. Making the most of Preboarding
Preboarding is the time between the signing of the acceptance letter and the employee’s first day. This time has traditionally been used to do some additional paperwork or send a welcome letter. But due to an uptick in new hires ghosting before their start date, some companies are doing more with this time. The objective is to help new hires feel confident that they made the right choice when signing the offer letter. HR departments are ramping up their efforts to connect during the preboarding period by:
- Sending a welcome package to introduce the candidate to the company, answer any frequently asked questions, and prepare them for what to expect on day one (working hours, parking, lunch and break times, places to eat locally).
- Sending company swag: pens, t-shirts, water bottles. Owning something of value with the company logo can make new recruits feel connected before they even start.
- Ensuring remote and onsite tech is ready to go on the first day.
- Arranging a lunch meeting or informal Zoom gathering with team members.
- Encouraging the new employee to send an introductory email or even make an introductory video telling a little bit about themselves.
5. Instituting a Onboarding Buddy program
According to Charthop, an onboarding buddy is “an employee who is matched with a new hire to educate them about day-to-day processes, introduce them to the rest of the team, bridge social connections, and answer questions as they arise.”
Especially in remote settings, having an onboarding buddy can help new hires feel more connected to the company and increase engagement. Knowing there is one person specifically available to the new hire can improve productivity and reduce early turnover.
It’s great to have a trusted partner to help navigate the changing talent management landscape. Whatever your hiring and onboarding challenges, Omnia can help! Our skilled Customer Success team is available to provide guidance throughout the recruiting and hiring lifecycle. Our behavioral assessments are quick, powerful, and now mobile friendly.
Download Now!Talent Trends Survey Report 2023 – Amplify Your Organizational Success.
