Features Recruitment
Recruitment has evolved. Here’s how to get ahead of the curve

It’s a movement exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it may have changed the recruitment process forever.

Today’s workers desire the ability to work remotely, increase their mobility, and become part of an organization that stands strongly for social justice, diversity, equity and inclusion.

Iman Masud

The pandemic and simultaneous labour shortage have brought new urgency to how companies acquire talent, says Iman Masud, Executive Human Resources RM at ADP Canada, citing a recent ADP Canada Insights survey.

“For the first time ever, job candidate priorities have changed, placing more of an importance on the value of work-life balance, over salary and benefits,” she says. “In addition to this shift, more candidates indicated that they want the values held by a potential employer to reflect their own personal values.”

“This has brought a new sense of urgency to how companies acquire talent, with company recruiters leading with work-life balance perks over salary and benefits in hopes of enticing workers away from their current role.”

Webinar: Key strategies for recruiting top talent during a labour shortage

Excellent recruitment leads to success

Strategic recruiting has fast become essential for organizations that want to attract the best job candidates, says Masud.

“Successful recruiting has a return on investment (ROI) that provides rapid and sustainable value to the employer and impacts the bottom line,” she says. “The top line is about winning over the best recruits through strong engagement before and after the application process. “

“And if you’re working with the very best candidates — from the very beginning — once on board, these are the employees who will quickly become the most productive.”

It can be the difference between winning and losing in the marketplace.

Adjusting to recruitment’s ‘new normal’

Understand that jobseekers have more options today than ever before, and many have already formed an opinion about your company, says Masud. Setting yourself apart is key.

“They’ve heard about you from their peers, through social media, on review sites and at virtual conferences,” she says. “To attract top talent, your organization needs to set itself apart from its competitors.”

According to research performed by LinkedIn, 75 per cent of jobseekers research an employer’s brand and reputation before they even apply.

First Class Recruiting Tactics during the Talent Crunch

Although employers might still be using traditional recruitment methods, such as publishing print ads to fill open positions, many were also open to a digitally driven, consumer-oriented method to recruit new employees — one that is based upon building a great employee experience fed by the success and magnetism of an employer’s brand.

Employers that adapt to recruitment’s “new normal” will be in the most favourable position to attract excellent candidates and retain them as passionate, motivated, long-term employees, says Masud.

At the heart of today’s approach to recruitment is a new focus — shifting away from the job application process to candidate engagement, she says.

“Job hunting is no longer a transactional world,” says Masud. “It thrives on building relationships with candidates that have the capability to become long-term assets to the organization.”

The path to ultimate recruiting success lies within an employer’s ability to communicate an attractive brand, establish strong internal supports and processes, and nurture great candidates along the talent pipeline.

Identifying common missteps

It’s important to note that as the focus shifts to recruitment practices based upon candidate engagement, so have the metrics businesses are employing to measure recruiting success, she says.

The following actions are important:

• Survey candidates for their feedback on the hiring process, correlating what worked well with the highly successful new employees. Where in the career-site conversion process did candidates drop off or withdraw from submitting their application?
• Also, don’t overlook opportunities to consider in-house candidates for promotion. They already know your company, have proven skills — and by their past performance have earned the right for a chance to show why you should consider them for a greater or different level of responsibility.

On Feb. 10, Masud will present more on this topic during a free webinar sponsored by ADP Canada. Register today and learn more about key recruitment metrics, tips on how to deliver an effective interview, and strategies to assess applicant skills and perform background checks.