How to prepare for the 2019 recruitment rush!

Dec 5, 2018 9:28:35 AM

Our next guest blog installment from CV Library. Blog written by Tash Larkin

January, the month when businesses set out their hiring budgets and a flood of professionals seek out exciting career opportunities as they adopt the ‘New Year, new me’ mantra.

It’s no wonder then that we typically see a recruitment rush at the beginning of the year, making this the perfect time to find new recruits.

So if you’re looking for talented candidates ahead of the New Year, you need to make sure that you’re prepared. The good news is, there are a number of ways you can do this. Below we’ll outline these in more detail, to ensure you’re ready for when the recruitment rush arrives!

Work on your job descriptions

The first step to kick starting your recruitment efforts is perfecting your job descriptions. Writing a great job advert takes time and practise, but get this right and you’ll ensure you attract only relevant candidates.

Get it wrong and you’ll only receive an influx of applications from irrelevant or underqualified job hunters, which take hours to sort through. Or worse, you might not get many applications at all.

So spend some time getting the layout of your job description right. Start with an introduction to your company and the role, followed by the main responsibilities – it’s best to do this in a bullet point format for clarity.

Don’t forget to include the requirements for the job and be very specific about whether these are desirable or necessary. Again, this is important to ensure you attract the most relevant candidates. Finally, finish by outlining any great benefits or perks of working for your company.

Consider your screening process

Next you need to consider your screening process. If you receive a large number of applications, but don’t have the time to sift out the best ones, it can be helpful to use screening tools and methods to save you time.

For example, conducting phone interviews – whether formal or informal – means you can have a quick chat with candidates, without the need to spend time inviting them in to meet face-to-face. This can help you to narrow down your shortlist, without taking up too much of your time and resources.

Take advantage of technology

Technology is changing the way we recruit and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down! So use technology to your advantage. Make the most of online job boards, social media and careers pages to really push your vacancies out there.

What’s more, you can use Application Tracking Systems (ATSs) to help you narrow down your shortlist of candidates, very quickly. If you haven’t already, it’s worth investing in an ATS, especially if you want to cut down on your resources and time to hire ahead of the January recruitment rush.

You can also use video technology software, such as Skype, to interview candidates who may be working remotely, or based further away until they’re able to relocate. This will open you up to a larger talent pool and help you to narrow down your shortlist, much like telephone interviews do.

Make sure you’re offering competitive packages

Though many candidates will be looking to make a career move in the New Year, the competition for the top talent will be tough.

As such, you need to make sure you’ve prepared competitive packages, ahead of time. Spend some time researching what other companies are offering for similar roles and try to match or beat them.

In these tough economic times, you might not always be able to offer the biggest pay packet – but that’s OK. If you can’t offer the highest salary, be sure to bolster your package with other perks such as additional holiday, performance bonuses and staff discounts. Also be sure to shout about your company culture and what makes your business a great place to work.

Don’t delay! Prepare for the recruitment rush today

So if you’ve got vacancies to fill, don’t leave it until the New Year to begin recruiting. Start advertising your job postings as soon as possible, to ensure they achieve maximum exposure.

It’s also important to be proactive in your searching efforts. Keep an eye out on social media and use CV databases to search for talented and relevant candidates.

The competition is fierce right now, so the best way to get ahead of the game is to prepare for the January recruitment rush early. Follow the simple steps above and you will find your new recruits in no time.

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