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January 25, 2024

What Top Talent Wants from Their Employer

Recruitment Process Outsourcing

Finding skilled talent these days is not an easy task. Candidates have many options to choose from when it comes to their career. To attract today’s candidates, companies must rethink their recruiting strategy. The way to stand out is to give them what they want. Many employees switched jobs last year and what influences people to join a new company is critical in today’s competitive job market. Aspirant's RPO solutions can provide unique insight into this subject.

According to a study conducted by Mercer, Global Talent Trends 2022: Rise of the Relatable Organization reports “that after job security, organizational brand and reputation is now the #2 reason that people joined their current employer (a jump from #9 before the pandemic).”

Your company’s employer value proposition should be the way you connect and be relevant to your next hire. So, the question is are you hitting the mark with candidates? If not, here are the top 10 items that candidates want:

 

1. Top Talent Require More Flexible Work Options

While it's true that the pandemic forced many people to work from home, remote and hybrid work was becoming popular even before the pandemic. Working remotely doesn't fit every person or every job position, but for those that it does, having a hybrid or remote option is preferable. For example, 73% of employees have reported that they want more say in how and where they work. They seek out employers who offer options that align with their preference for a healthier work-life balance. So, organizations that give them this flexibility increase their chances of winning that candidate over the competition.

 

2. Your Purpose & Values

In today's socially-connected and online world, a candidate will use every means possible to learn about your company and what you stand for when it comes to your sustainability agenda. A well-designed careers section is a must; this provides a real opportunity to put your best foot forward about your employee value proposition. Your careers page should include more than simply a list of open positions. Clearly communicate your company's mission and values. Incorporate contact forms that make it easy for talent to contact the recruiting team if they have questions or they are interested in learning about positions. Many candidates will check out review sites to verify if what you say about your company is true. Sites like Indeed’s Glassdoor, InHerSite, and Comparably, as well as others, show how your company ranks on leadership, diversity, and compensation. Lastly, LinkedIn’s power is about networking and you can be sure potential candidates are asking their professional network for advice about your company and its culture.

 

3. Top Talent is Looking for a Seamless Hiring Process

Employers should approach the candidate experience as the "human experience," similar to the consumer journey. Each interaction in the recruiting process should aim to improve the candidate's experience at every touchpoint, starting with the employer brand and Employer Value Proposition (EVP) even before the candidate applies for a position.

A well thought EVP is a strategy that gives job seekers a compelling illustration of a uniquely rewarding employee experience and it accelerates the time-to-fill positions. From first impressions to the easy application and hiring processes, to smooth onboarding, candidates respond better to organizations that have their recruiting workflow in order. Every touchpoint should be viewed as another way to impress and sway them to choose your organization over another.

 

4. Today’s Talent Wants to Stay Informed

Highly qualified and sought-after candidates are often bombarded with recruitment messages via LinkedIn, email, and phone calls, even when they are not considering a career move. However, smart employers who know how to market to these skilled workers are able to build and maintain relationships by establishing talent communities. This strategy has proven to be effective, as a Yello report revealed that 9 out of 10 candidates who participated in a talent community had a positive impression of the company that organized it. By being part of a talent community, candidates can network with other skilled professionals and learn more about the organization and its offerings. As a result, nurturing these relationships can help employers build a strong pool of potential talent for future opportunities.

 

5. Easy Apply

If you manage to attract the attention of candidates and they decide to apply, you want to make the application process as easy as possible for them. The majority of today’s workforce is millennials, and 98% of them own smartphones.

These candidates use their phones for much more than conversations with friends. Candidates search for jobs on their smartphones. If they find a position open at your company while searching on their phone, it’s more likely they will apply if they can do so right there. Otherwise, they’ll likely move on to the next. Sure, it is possible that they will “save” the job with the intention to apply later from a computer, but that doesn’t mean they will follow through.

Make it accessible immediately with a smooth mobile application that they can use while they are waiting for an appointment, during their commute, or any other time. And be sure to test your organization's mobile application process to ensure that it's easy to use from a smartphone.

 

6. Ease of Communicating

There’s plenty of research to support the use of text communication. For example, 98% of texts are opened and 57% are opened within the first five minutes of receipt. Recruiters who use text to communicate with candidates can engage 10x the number of candidates each week over other forms of communication.

Text messaging is used by businesses across industries to communicate with their customers. Candidates are accustomed to receiving texts and they are open to text communication with recruiters. One survey found that 86% of those asked felt positive about it. Leveraging text is a great way to quickly connect with candidates to confirm interviews and stay in touch throughout the hiring and onboarding process.

 

7. Competitive Compensation

In today’s competitive talent climate, a competitive salary is a fundamental expectation of all candidates. When candidates and employees perceive that your company’s compensation package is fair, a total compensation package will be evaluated in its entirety. While there are numerous studies indicating that it takes more than desirable pay to attract top talent, money still matters. Gallup's research over the years has always cited pay as one of the top reasons candidates accept new job offers; however, in recent years it has risen to the top of the list. For example, 64% of candidates rank it as the number one critical factor in their decision. Because it’s such a tight talent market, organizations are raising wages to compete for candidates.

 

8. Stimulating Work Environments

People do their best when their work is aligned with their natural talents and skills. They enjoy it and find it more rewarding. Those who perform jobs that aren’t satisfying in this way are often the ones who are out looking for other positions. Recruiters must focus on more than just attracting candidates to jobs. They need to attract the right candidates to the jobs. Some of the ways to do this are by creating accurate job descriptions and giving candidates a realistic preview of what their daily routines and work will look like.

 

9. Empowerment through Advancement

Acquiring new candidates for positions is important, but it's only a part of the equation. Consider current employees as candidates for open positions, too. Organizations can fill roles and offset resignation challenges by leveraging their existing workforce and offering opportunities for advancement. LinkedIn’s 2021 Workplace Learning Report revealed that employees will stay twice as long at a company that regularly hires from within. Organizations should consider giving the right tools and training to their current talent so that they can successfully move up instead of looking for a new position with a different company.

 

10. Prioritizing Diversity and Inclusion

Companies that are focused on increasing the diversity of their workforce not only have a competitive advantage in business outcomes but also attract a wider pool of talent. The challenge is getting the C-suite on board with this. One survey by iCIMS shows that 85% of C-suite executives find it difficult to prioritize DEI goals and strategies due to competing HR and recruiting practices. But an employer brand that does not reflect a commitment to diversity and inclusion could alienate skilled talent, which is something that organizations simply cannot afford to do in today's competitive market. Numerous studies reveal the benefits of DEI programs in meeting financial targets, retaining customers, and attracting top talent to open positions.

 

(Bonus!) 11. Cultivate a Healthy Workforce

The pandemic has transformed the nature of work and employees' expectations from their employers. Nowadays, workers seek a mutually beneficial arrangement that promotes their overall health and accommodates their lifestyle. Companies that fail to adjust to these evolving demands may face severe ramifications, such as high employee turnover and difficulty in recruiting new talent. Therefore, it is the responsibility of employers to not only recognize but also meet the unfulfilled requirements of their employees, including emotional, physical, social, and financial well-being. Nowadays, top talent is actively seeking out employers who prioritize their welfare, opting for companies that endorse sustainable work practices and offer personalized support during critical moments.

 

How do you give candidates everything they want in a job?

How does your organization deliver it all? Talent Acquisition leaders need to engage senior leaders to look for opportunities to collaborate and focus on what candidates want today to help improve recruiting outcomes. Listening intently to their candidates, using data to uncover patterns, and using those to improve the recruiting process is important.

As employees continue to evolve what they expect, many organizations are turning to Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) providers to help them ensure that their recruiting process does not lag and are using innovative communication strategies to engage with talent.

Recruitment Process Outsourcing providers aim to attract top-notch candidates for companies, especially in fiercely competitive talent markets. Talent Acquisition teams are now placing more emphasis on enhancing their recruitment strategies than ever before.

Learn how Aspirant’s RPO solutions can help you achieve greater outcomes in your recruitment efforts. Fill out the form below to connect with our team today.

Executive VP of RPO recruiting, Patty solves client talent acquisition challenges through innovative solutions that enable companies to attract top talent. Her experience includes recruitment marketing strategy, employment branding, HR technology implementations, research, and project management. Patty was the visionary for building a talent attraction platform (ACTIVATE) that leading organizations use to improve the candidate experience by transforming career sites into highly effective search engine optimized sites. 

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