If your recruitment strategy is to simply place an advert on Seek each time you need to recruit, you are selling yourself short. The recruitment market is moving quickly and new media choices are launching every day. From websites targeting graduates and people starting their careers to media aimed at parents returning to the workforce, through to mediums for experienced workers, you need to ensure you are advertising in the media that your target market is looking at.
Talent Propeller is the only recruitment services provider that has an in-house advertising agency. We provide our clients with free design and copywriting services to ensure their adverts are unique, stand out and most importantly are booked to the most relevant media to attract the right candidate.
Give yourself an honest appraisal of your employment brand
If we asked 100 people what they thought of your organisation, what would they say? Would they even know who you are? Employment branding is not just for big corporates with big budgets. The term ‘employment brand’ is essentially the image people have in the market of your organisation as place to work.
If you think you are too small to have an employment brand, think again. If you have advertised more than 6 times in the past 12 month period, you are big enough to have some sort of employment ‘image’ in the marketplace. So how do people get an impression of your company which is ultimately deemed your ‘employment brand’? It starts from how you present your adverts – how professional are they? How responsive are you to job seekers when they apply to you? Have you acknowledged all applications and updated all candidates on the outcome of their application? How quickly do you process applications? Are candidates waiting 2, 3, 4 or more weeks to hear the outcome of their application? All these interactions (or lack of interactions!) are creating an impression of your business in the market, otherwise known as your employment brand. If you have an inefficient recruitment process due to lack of time or too many applications to handle, your employment brand will no doubt be suffering.
You can rectify this by implementing a candidate management tool (such as the Talent Propeller system) that allows you email candidates at the touch of a button to update them on the outcome of their application.
Look beyond your inbox as a means to manage applications
If you are still managing applications via your inbox or, shock horror, by post, you need to get with the times. Candidate management systems can be a life saver when it comes to managing applications quickly and efficiently. There are many options on the market with varying price tags. The Talent Propeller candidate management system starts from $1.95 per candidate who applies with you, or a flat $70+GST. If the time saving is two hours or more, the tool has essentially paid for itself!
Remember, the faster you manage applications the more positive the candidate experience is, and the better your employment brand will become.
Know what you are good at and relinquish control
If you are an Office Manager or Financial Controller, no doubt you took years to perfect your art. Engaging the services of a recruitment expert can mean a faster time to hire and reduced delays in other work. You don’t need to outsource the entire process – even just getting support to assist with initial screening, phone interviews or reference checks can increase productivity of the recruitment process. Talent Propeller offers our clients the ability to outsource all or part of the recruitment process on an ‘as-needed’ basis, meaning when you get busy, you call in the experts to help you.
When looking for solutions, calculate the total cost of recruitment
If you are new to recruitment or have it as one of the many jobs you are responsible for in the company, you may be shocked when you add up your hourly rate with the cost of advertising to reach a ‘total cost per hire’ price. The average company spends $500 on advertising one vacancy, then spends 6 hours to review all applications, schedule interviews and meet candidates face to face. This means your cost per hire can quickly escalate to $1000 plus. You may find a shortlisting service such as Talent Propeller’s Shortlisters service a viable and cheaper option.
Skills test to avoid disappointment
You never really know the level of a candidates skill until they start, so as part of your recruitment process, undertaking a skills test can help you make informed decisions. A Receptionist who can’t type, a Data Entry Clerk with inaccurate entry or an Accounts Clerk who has beginner knowledge of Excel…. These scenarios can cost your business money and reduce productivity. Another consideration is credit checks, criminal checks and licence checks. If anyone in your organisation is likely to drive a company car, handle company finances or be involved in confidential material, investing $25* in a check such as this could save you thousands of lost dollars.
Talent Propeller provides skills tests, personality profiles, attitude assessments and a full list of background checks, ordered on an ‘as needed’ basis.
Never forgo reference checks
The last but critical part of the recruitment process is to conduct a proper reference check. A well-constructed reference should highlight for you the strengths and weaknesses of your candidate and it should be provided by a previous manager. Many companies cut corners on taking a detailed reference as their mind is ‘already made up’ and they simply want to confirm their assumptions on a person. This is a dangerous approach to take and may lead to disastrous outcomes.
A proper reference should confirm the identity of the referee and confirm it is the candidates prior manager, as fair and balanced questions that require a full answer (not just a yes or no) and should provide a balanced overview of a person’s ability in the role they performed. Be warned of glowing references and no areas or skills needing to be improved!
If you would like to discuss any subjects raised in this blog, feel free to contact us.
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