Think it’s easy to find great employees? Think again

If there’s one thing recruitment specialists know, it’s that finding the right people for your organisation can be tough.

Often, we think we’ll write the perfect ad, put it out there and the best applicants will automatically be drawn to us and apply. But that’s often not how it goes – and sometimes, finding great people is as much about what you offer as the kind of organisation you’re running.

Here are three tough-love truths to help you nail the hiring process.

Truth 1: Your company culture is everything

Candidates talk, and there’s nowhere for brands to hide on the internet – where Glassdoor reviews alone can make or break the impression people have of your company.

Sticking your head in the sand isn’t going to help you hire the right people – it’ll just make it harder. So take a good look at your brand. Assess whether your employees like working for you. Is the company culture supportive and friendly? Do you foster positive connections between staff members and help them build relationships? Do staff feel secure in their jobs?

We know that job satisfaction is huge for employees. And our research found that thriving workplaces and job satisfaction came down to two things:

1. Job security (important for 62% polled) and
2. Strong relationships with colleagues (important for 51% of those polled)

If you have both of those down pat, you’re doing something right – and it’ll help you hire and retain good people, too.

Truth 2: Being fixated on skillset means you miss good people

Sure, we all want candidates that have oodles of experience, tick all the boxes and fit the criteria of the ad down to the last parameter. But is that realistic? In today’s market, probably not. Is it also ignoring that while someone may have all the skills, they might not have the cultural fit you need? Yes.

This is why job ads should split criteria into ‘essential’ and ‘nice to have’ sections, because that can take the pressure off and help attract applicants who might otherwise not apply – but be perfect for the job. It’s equally important to be flexible and look for applicants who have a decent amount of experience, but more importantly, will be a great fit with the team overall.

That might mean overlooking the fact that they don’t have all the skills you need when you hire them – but remember, people can always be trained up.

Truth 3: Put a competitive but simple recruitment strategy in place

We found that 1 in 4 people lack confidence when applying for roles. So you need to have a rock-solid but streamlined recruitment strategy in place when hiring. Reducing the stress for candidates going through your hiring process will help dramatically.

But to stay competitive means having your finger in all the pies when looking for people. You might:

• Establish generous employee referrals so your existing staff can suggest candidates
• Offer competitive salary packages, benefits and professional development opportunities
• Go back to past employees and ask if they’re looking for a new role or know someone who is
• Leverage your networks, newsletter and social channels to get the job out there, and often
• Rejig the role – especially if it’s getting no bites. Brainstorm ways to make it more appealing.

Need a hand streamlining your recruitment process? Chat to our recruiters

A strong company culture, well-written ad and competitive recruitment strategy will all put you in the driver’s seat when hiring – but sometimes even that’s not enough.

If you’re still struggling to hire great people, chatting to a recruitment specialist in your niche can give you the edge you need – after all, these experts have all the intel on current market conditions and access to their own database of talented candidates.

Want to stay ahead of the curve and gain valuable insights into the employment trends happening across Australia and New Zealand? You can download our 2023 ANZ Workforce Trends infographics now. Or, if you prefer a deeper dive into your niche, we have industry specific infographics for Construction, Education, Health, Hospitality and Retail.