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How to attract good candidates without breaking the bank

Recruitment can be a challenge at the best of times but recruitment in a worldwide pandemic with an unpredictable economy?  That is a real challenge many businesses are facing right now. So how do you attract good candidates without breaking the bank? Here are my five top tips…

What does the company need?

Firstly, it’s important to evaluate the role. Is it a new or existing role? If so, do you really need someone full-time? Could part-time hours or a job share work? Could the duties be distributed to existing employees? These may seem like obvious questions but it’s easy to replace jobs as a like for like so consider what the company actually needs.

Once this has been established, look in-house! Could you up-skill an existing employee? Could you put a referral scheme in place if an employee recommends a friend for the job?

Sell your story

Every company has a story behind it. Attract good candidates by sharing your story and making it relatable. Be completely open about the company’s mission, values and culture. Going to work isn’t about just doing a job. Prospective candidates want to know who they are working for, what they get in return, and they want to ensure the company’s values align with their own. Selling the story of the company is as equally important as the candidate selling themselves. Recruitment is a two-way decision.

Raise your online profile

Social media is huge now so make sure your company is visible. A vast majority of jobseekers will be active on social media or the internet at the very least, so it’s important to raise the company profile wherever it’s listed but especially on professional networking sites such as LinkedIn and Indeed. There are so many options to list jobs free on social media but the real benefit here is that you reach a much wider audience to attract good candidates than job boards alone.

Flexible and/or remote working

We have seen a huge rise in flexible and remote working since the start of COVID19. Giving employees the flexibility to balance their home and work life is an incredibly attractive benefit. It increases the pool of candidates by radius and makes long distance commutes much more sustainable. In this day and age, having a good reputation for a healthy work/life balance is a great place to be.

Attract good candidate with great opportunities

Offer development and career progression opportunities where possible. Not only is it attractive to a prospective employee, but you are also likely to stand in a better position when it comes to employee retention too. Offering training courses or learning materials is a great way to attract good candidates because it shows that you’re invested in employee development.  With grants and levy’s available for many, this could be an attractive benefit with very little cost.

Best of luck in finding the great candidates you need. If you need any further support, please contact me.