We've recently published our guide to employer brand, looking at the role of careers websites in 2022 and beyond. A key theme within this piece is the talent shortage and the current challenge facing businesses as they look to hire in a candidate-driven market.
Whilst 52% of the workforce are looking to leave their jobs post-pandemic, businesses are still struggling to attract talent in a competitive market. The lack of office working and in-person benefits mean companies have to work harder than ever before to gain high-quality talent.
As many companies are experiencing, attracting and retaining talent is more challenging than ever before, with every business desperate to grow. But with 73% of the workforce being 'passive' talent, there is hope. We wanted to support businesses with the tools and strategy tips needed to help you build a talent pipeline for now and in the future.
"More than ever before we're seeing businesses and owners struggle to recruit and attract talent. Our knowledge of recruitment, pipelining talent and optimising employer brands means we have a responsibility to support during this challenging time." Brian Whigham, Managing Director at Venn.
Talent pipelining refers to business activities to gain a 'pool' of talent ready to fill positions when they become available. Having this database of ready and willing talent is incredibly valuable to employers in the current market.
Creating a pool of talent requires a candidate-focused journey that nurtures potential candidates, whether passive or active. This type of strategy considers more than just the immediate roles available in order to attract talent for the future. Through building relationships and investing in their employer brand, companies have an opportunity to optimise their hiring process.
Talent pipelining gives companies a pool of quality talent resulting in an all-around easier hire when it comes to the job itself.
By focusing on this type of proactive recruiting, companies can save time and money, reducing hiring costs. Well, thought-through strategies will also allow employers to attract better quality talent using considered personas.
At the heart of talent pipelining is creating a better candidate experience. By utilising employer brand strategies, content marketing and careers websites, businesses give candidates a better experience online. Relationships matter, particularly for passive talent, not yet ready to take the leap. Employers and candidates can benefit from a happier, smoother start by creating a positive and personal journey.
Reputation and a considered candidate journey will put you miles ahead when competing with other employers. Particularly when converting passive talent, a clear and consistent brand message could be the deciding factor.
Identify your culture, values and the type of talent you want to attract. Then distil this information in an engaging careers website. Share your brand story, employee testimonials and the benefits that come along with a job at your company. More and more people need to buy into a company's vision and culture before wanting to work for them.
With talent pipelining, candidates have longer to consider a brands' values and decide whether or not they are a cultural fit. Likewise, businesses can shortlist candidates based on who will fit in best. During this journey, it's essential to provide engaging content and touchpoints to stay top of mind and convince the candidate that your business is the place for them.
When building your employer brand strategy, it's important to have a clear vision of the type of person you're trying to attract. Your industry, values and job types will all feed into this. Understanding your personas and who you are as a brand will give you a better shot at attracting like-minded people.
Focus on the candidate's experience. Your corporate site is not built for your future employees, which is why it's not converting them. Is your site set up for a candidate user journey? Or have you been focused on attracting clients and customers up to this point? Giving your employer brand the same attention as your corporate one will boost your reputation, online presence and ROI.
Once you know who you're going after, the next question is, where do they hang out?
There are many sourcing techniques at your disposal. Qualified candidates are everywhere, whether it's social media, networking events or a simple online search. By determining where your people will be, you can target your marketing, content and adverts to engage with them on specific platforms, driving them back to your careers website.
By refining your messaging and tone of voice, you can effectively reach those that would be a good fit for your business.
Create compelling content and share your brand story.
Be honest and authentic. Display your culture and diversity loud and proud. Through video, written content and photography, show insights into life at your company. With Covid driving businesses and people further apart, utilising digital has become more important for modern recruitment.
Take inspiration from eCommerce. Much like the buyer's journey for an online store, passive candidates should be receiving communication pushing them further down the funnel. Triggered emails, new job notifications and remarketing can all play a part in your pipelining strategy.
Think about the last time you visited a job on a job board, and that job board follows you around to complete the application. Employers can target people who have visited their site or job descriptions, like an abandoned cart ad, encouraging candidates to continue their journey and pick up where they left off.
Give talent multiple conversion points. Not everyone will be ready to sign up for a job immediately, but by giving them a softer option for conversion, whether that be job alerts or following you on social media, you remain front of mind. Let people know you're always looking for talent, and allow them to determine how they want to stay in touch.
Talent pipelining is a crucial part of your recruitment marketing strategy and at its core is a strong employer brand. Careers websites allow you to grow an organic audience of like-minded talent. Investing in your employer brand strategy is a worthwhile task, particularly in a candidate-driven market. Not only will it help you attract more passive and active candidates, but it will also help you retain talent and build a pipeline for the future.
Learn more about the role of careers websites and how a dedicated destination for talent can help you grow your team effectively. Download our guide today.
