Since our foundation in 1991 Cavendish Maine has seen huge changes in the way recruitment is conducted. We have worked through the launch of mobile phones; the internet; changing legislation; technology, Covid and the new world of remote and agile working. Many employers have been slow to adapt and fail to realise what it takes to attract and retain the talent they want in 2023. Working with a professional recruitment partner, such as Cavendish Maine, should take care of all of this for you – here is a summary that you might find useful.

1. Remote working and online interviews

The number of people now working fully or partly from home has risen by over 50% since March 2020. Surveys show that 80% of people in commercial roles would not now accept a job that offered no flexible working!

When it comes to recruitment, one of the major benefits of remote working for employers is that your talent pool is no longer limited to those who live locally, and it is easier to introduce more flexibility and diversity than ever before.

If you embrace remote working, embrace remote interviewing too. Traditional hiring managers rely on the CV as the only selection tool and invite a small number of candidates to face to face meetings on one or two specified days. You can see the limitations to this.

Online interviewing speeds up the hiring process and saves money. It encourages you to consider more candidates at the first stage which improves your opportunity to spot those all-important ‘soft skills’; you can keep the interviews short and sharp while still making / taking a first impression and you will have confidence in those that you invite to a face-to-face meeting. You are also more likely to invest time in social media and reference checks in advance of the second stage which usually removes the need for any further interviews.

2. Create a positive candidate experience

Candidate experience pre, during, and post-recruitment contributes to your employer branding and can affect your company’s reputation in the job market. It also affects the kinds of talent you attract and retain. By 2030 we will be faced with a talent shortage of more than 85 million people. Considering that and tight competition all around – you cannot afford for bad interview experience or reputation to cause loss of potential talent.

Based on a survey conducted by Kelly Services, 97% of candidates who had a positive experience with a company’s recruitment process would encourage others to apply, and 55% of them would share their positive experiences on social media.

3. Maximise employee retention, minimise bad hires

We believe that a bad hire costs the employer around £15,000, and losing a good hire is double – £30,000. If your company makes just one bad judgment and loses one good employee in a year – you’ll lose £45,000. It’s a lot of money that could be spent differently.

Processes. Think about what has worked in your organisation. Understand the culture, breathe this into the interview and hire people who will fit in, enjoy the team and stay with you in the face of a competitive approach.

4. Put soft skills into the spotlight

For a very long time hard skills were considered the most important in any recruitment process – the higher the competencies, the better. But enlightened employers realise that while hard skills can be learned, soft skills must be earned – mostly through experience.

It’s time to start adjusting the recruitment approach now and focus on more than previous experience.

The soft skills that will matter the most in the next three years

• Emotional intelligence
• Adaptability & resilience
• Integrity & ethics
• Creativity
• Teamwork

5. Understand Gen Z

Knowing how to target different generations with your recruitment process is a key factor for successful hires. And now, as Generation Z (‘Zoomers’ 1997+) are entering the workforce, it’s time to start tailoring your recruitment process to suit them.

Gen Z is characterised by specific values and expectations that need to be considered when attempting to attract them, the biggest being technology, and it’s through its implementation in the recruitment process that you can become an employer of interest in their eyes.

Zoomers are the ones that have been immersed in technology since they were born, they are digital natives. Most zoomers will not tolerate outdated technology in their workplace. The best way to recruit and retain this generation is to fully adapt the recruitment process to the technology they use.

Make sure your application process is fully mobile-friendly. You should make it possible for them to apply on their phones within a few clicks.

This generation will require you to post bite-sized content, preferably in a high-quality video format. They’d rather watch a quick video presenting your company than read text on your website. The year 2022 may be the high time for your company to revamp the website and make it more GenZ-friendly.

Conclusion

Recruitment processes need to keep pace with the world. Today its less about paper-pushing and more about diversity, modern technology, and adaptation. Cavendish Maine can help you with this – using technology and experience to amplify your employer brand and to quickly capture and excite the candidates you want to grow your business in 2022 and beyond.

Please Contact Us  for more information.