Navigating the complexities of hiring, whether in a small town with limited talent pools or amidst the competition for passive job seekers, can be a daunting sk – particularly as season approaches. Google search data reveals a surge in interest for "seasonal jobs'' during the summer months, signaling the impending rush for recruitment efforts.
Adopting a proactive stance now is imperative to stay ahead of the curve. A proactive approach lays the groundwork for a robust strategy to tackle the upcoming peak hiring season head-on. By implementing best practices and incorporating practical tips, hiring professionals can fortify their recruitment efforts and ensure a seamless transition into the heightened demands of the peak season.
Here are a few best practices and tips to help prepare professionals for the next peak season.
Develop a strong understanding of the company’s market’s talent supply and consider any publicly available hiring projections from competitors. Leveraging public information and free resources such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics and media partner surveys can empower the hiring team with a realistic perspective of the current workforce. If an organization can invest in paid tools, such as Public Insight, LinkedIn’s Talent Insights, or Lightcast, this can be a valuable resource to support peak hiring and expansion plans or talent relocation strategies.
Arming the recruitment team with current and past trends on local and national unemployment, employee sentiment, and motivators can position an organization to create a more localized approach to meet the company’s hiring needs. This can also help support the campaign messaging to develop creative ad copy that will speak to candidates in a meaningful way and motivate them to apply.
Note: Even if an organization has a robust set of tools, free online resources exist to help hiring professionals better understand the local talent pool to develop and develop knowledge.
As more and more states enforce laws around salary transparency, it also creates an opportunity to begin to analyze and develop trends based on this new public information. Indeed’s salary tool can help companies determine the current salary range for any job type in a given market. If an organization can leverage those insights to align to a more competitive salary range, even if just for critical roles, it can give a company an edge. 80% reported that being paid fairly is a top consideration when accepting a new job, and 70% of hourly workers report that their pay rate causes some stress.
Seventy-five percent of employers agree that pay transparency helps them attract quality candidates. However, companies are still apprehensive, with only 18% saying they disclose pay only in states where it is legally required to do so. Recruitics recommends including a salary on all job postings.
Note: Jobs in certain states can be suppressed by job boards if the legal requirements are not met.
Review past performance on job titles and ensure the content is optimized based on job seeker search trends. Identify performance trends among job titles used during the prior year’s peak season to hone in on those top converting titles. For example, if hiring professionals plan to activate a programmatic job advertising campaign as part of the paid media strategy for peak season, consider crafting clear, concise, and tailored job descriptions. It is crucial for the success of programmatic job advertising campaigns and will discourage any poorly matched candidates from applying.
More than 70% of applicants start their job searches on Google, so checking the job title keywords against Google’s search trends is also valuable. If the Google keyword index scores low, A/B testing a variety of job titles during an off-season period to minimize risk and increase the chances of improved conversion rates during the peak season.
For a strong job title that will rank highly in search results, avoid any internal jargon or extra information that may be better suited for the job description. Treat the job title like a business card and keep it simple. Characters like dashes (-) may be interpreted as a boolean search string. Specific details like shift time, location, and spammy words can do more harm than good. Instead, placing that information at the top of the job description will allow candidates to see the relevant information and determine whether they click to apply.
Note: Many job boards, Indeed, have recently adjusted where they track the paid event for job ads, making it unnecessary to rely on the job title alone to attract a candidate to click on the job. These changes by Indeed are intended to improve candidate quality and reduce application volume from job seekers who find they aren’t qualified for the role advertised. Hiring professionals need to put themselves in the candidate’s shoes and consider their current search trends when updating job content.
On average, job seekers read between 7-9 reviews on any given organization before applying for a job. Even if companies don’t yet have an established strategy for responding to and managing online reviews, professionals should at least be aware of the common themes and potential barriers that can deter qualified candidates away from an organization.
Seventy-five percent of job seekers consider an employer’s brand before applying. The employer brand is how the external world views the company’s reputation, not what the company says the brand is. So, while this may somewhat be “out of your hands,” professionals can try to positively influence the employer brand through the employee value proposition.
Tip: Consider creating a process for review collection and set markers at various employee milestones. Current employees who are just reaching an anniversary, recently promoted, or fresh out of onboarding may be more inclined to leave a favorable review.
While companies may know who their competitors are, it is best practice to regularly examine the market to identify any emerging brands that may also be looking to attract the same talent. One of the simplest ways to learn more about the competitive landscape is to conduct a search on industry job boards to see who may have open roles for similar job titles in the market.
By browsing through job postings, companies can get a sense of what competitors are offering in terms of salary and benefits and often get a sense of their culture. A search on social media can also offer details about the competitors' online presence and employer brand. Hiring professionals can dig into industry reports, news articles, blogs, and podcasts that mention competitors.
Tip: It’s helpful to understand how the competition handled last year’s peak season and consider how to incorporate those learnings into next season’s planning process.
Depending on an organization's long- and short-term objectives, certain best practices may require prioritization over others. As hiring professionals anticipate the next peak hiring season, it's crucial to proactively strategize and implement measures that align with the company's hiring goals. By taking proactive steps now, professionals can effectively position their team for success in the future, ensuring smooth operations and optimal outcomes during the upcoming peak hiring period.
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Staying on top of the labor market is essential when creating and pivoting recruitment strategies. The talent acquisition experts at Recruitics are here to help ensure you are able to navigate any market condition. We utilize real-time data to pivot, innovate, and collaborate, aiming to make your approach more precise, intuitive, and efficient. Contact us today!
