How many times have you done your best to recruit a candidate, only to have them walk away from the job offer? Say you’ve developed a good relationship, checked out their social media profile, checked references, made your best offer … and still lose the candidate to another company. It’s a competitive world out there today, and job seekers have more options than ever before. What do you need to do to seal the deal?
Tip #1 – Move Fast
Having an outdated application process that takes too long, with multiple hoops for the candidate to jump through, puts your target at risk of being snatched up by someone else. You can be highly professional and do a nice job negotiating salary, but for every hoop or delay in the interview and offer, the risk grows higher that a faster company will snag the candidate.
In today’s job market, you must close the deal quickly. There is always going to be another recruiter waiting in the wings to snag your talent, so make the offer as quickly as you can. Making the offer quickly shows you are excited about the candidate and you respect their time. One of the biggest mistakes we see today is a long, drawn-out recruitment process, particularly in corporate settings. If you take too long, it appears you are indecisive. In many companies, this is a red flag for dysfunction. This is certainly not the type of company most people would want to join and may make your candidate walk away.
Tip #2 – Upgrade Your Technology
Applicant career pages must be intuitive to use, mobile-friendly and able to snag data from a resume without requiring candidates to retype information straight from their resume.
Glassdoor studied the phenomenon and found people are increasingly conducting job searches on their phone and even uploading resumes to apply. Their latest research showed:
- 58% of job seekers use their phones to search for a position.
- Mid-career workers, aged 35 to 44, are the most likely to use their phones to job hunt.
- Women and blue-collar workers use their phones to search for employment more frequently than white-collar workers.
- But the application process is much harder for these job seekers; mobile job hunters complete 53% fewer applications and take 80% longer to complete these forms.
The study also found companies becoming more mobile-friendly should advertise the fact. Promoting a cell phone-friendly job application process drives 11.6 percent more applicants to the company than those that fail to adopt mobile-first strategies.
Tip #3 – Stay Competitive
In most markets, if you fail to make a competitive offer or refuse to negotiate salary and benefits, you might lose the candidate. Make sure you understand the salary history of the candidate and what they are asking for in a total compensation package. Then, review salary histories for the area to determine what rates are competitive. You can do this by looking at postings on job boards to see salary ranges. Finally, remember that intangible benefits, like flex or remote work arrangements, are very popular and can be appealing to candidates.
Gecko Hospitality has candidates standing by. Visit our talent showcase or connect with our leading hospitality recruiters today.
