Needless to say, the last couple of years have been challenging for businesses. With the ongoing labour shortage, recruitment and retention efforts have been on the top of everyone’s minds.
With over 50% of Canadians looking to make a career change in the first half of 2022, tensions are running high. Unfortunately, you might have some open positions, and many will see a decline in applicants. While hiring from a small applicant pool might feel like slim pickings, that’s not necessarily always the case.
6 tips for making the right hire in a small candidate pool:
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Review your hiring process
Even amidst the current labour shortage, if a decline in applicants is becoming a significant trend, it might be time to rethink your hiring process. Going through each step, look for areas that might need some TLC—using outdated hiring strategies? Scrap them.
Technology is your friend. Implement automation and applicant tracking systems (ATS) to increase your visibility, and better assess candidates efficiently.
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Change your perspective
Having few applicants isn’t always a bad thing. Remember quality over quantity! Just because you only have 30 applicants instead of 100 doesn’t mean you won’t find that diamond in the rough.
Hiring is about finding the right person for the job rather than getting a record-breaking number of applicants.
Look for those silver linings. A smaller applicant pool means less time spent sorting through resumes and conducting interviews. You were going to shortlist candidates anyway. Now you just have a head start.
Recruiting is stressful enough. Shifting your mindset can take some of the edge off. All you need is one right candidate at the end of the day.
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Hire for growth potential
Depending on the position, you might be looking for a candidate with more specialized skills. If this is your situation, then it might be your best bet to wait a little longer for the right candidate to come around. If this isn’t the case, then you might have already found the right candidate without knowing.
When recruiting, try to hire based on growth potential. A candidate might not have experience in the role, but that doesn’t mean they can’t step up to the plate. As you read through resumes and hold interviews look for transferable soft skills your team might be missing. Focus on candidates who are all about career growth and taking on challenges. Many skills can be learned through on-the-job training, but drive and determination can’t.
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Always be hiring
When you have an open position, no one applies, and when you aren’t hiring, everyone seems to be inquiring about jobs. The solution: passive recruiting.
Create a passive job posting on your website rather than waiting to hire after an unexpected vacancy. If you choose to do this, indicate this is for future job openings to let candidates know you’ll contact them when a position opens.
Now you might be wondering, what is even the point of that? Passive recruiting all year round builds your talent pool, so when it’s actually time to hire, you’ll have more options. It’s a great strategy that will keep you proactive and give a buffer for hard times like now.
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Provide a phenomenal candidate experience
Offering a positive candidate experience should always be prioritized, but even more so with the current state of the job market. According to a CareerPlug survey, 57% of job seekers would decline a job offer due to a poor candidate experience. If job seekers don’t feel valued or respected, they’ll find another opportunity, and then you’re really out of luck.
From their first look at your website to onboarding, each candidate should have a seamless and positive experience. If you make a good enough impression, even candidates that got cut can give positive reviews about their experience with the company. As a result, your employer brand will thrive, and applicants will be flocking to your job boards.
So, while having a small applicant pool seems like a disadvantage, it’s actually an excellent opportunity to see your candidates as people and not just a number.
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Work with a recruitment agency
If you’re in a pinch or just looking for some extra help, it never hurts to work with a staffing agency such as Toronto’s #1 IT Recruiting Agency Live Assets. Staffing agencies have a ready supply of candidates waiting to fill positions and are run by professionals knowledgeable on market and industry trends.
Top Staffing Agencies in Toronto | About Live Assets | IT Staffing Solutions
Live Assets is a boutique IT Staffing/Recruiting firm specializing exclusively in building IT teams of excellence for the Information Technology sector.
We are a small, but productive team that works closely together and has had a 96% success rate for the past number of years!
We have a diverse number of clients and industries and focus on both full-time and contract I.T. opportunities.
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