As baby boomers begin to retire, the makeup of the workforce is changing dramatically, bringing both instability and opportunities for improvement to the workspace.
As a result of the the growing skills gap, companies are facing pressure to streamline operations and stay relevant.
Yet, while there are major concerns, it’s not all doom and gloom in the business world: the workplace of 2015 is one big opportunity for taking new or underutilised routes to success. As we look into how to take advantage of the changing business environment, you’ll see that the name of the game is reinvention and adaption to embrace changing trends in candidate expectations
Employers should take advantage of the way technology, specifically smartphones, has changed the way people go about searching for jobs. About 83% of potential applicants use smartphones to search for job listings, according to RIS News, and 45% have actually applied to jobs via their phones.
Despite the robust potential of mobile recruiting, few employers have established mobile-optimised sites for hiring, and even fewer have developed their own apps.
Alex Charraudeau, LinkedIn’s recruitment expert explained in a presentation that 49% of recruiters don’t think mobile recruiting is a top priority, with only 20% of recruitment or careers sites optimised for mobile and even fewer – 18% – of job ads optimised for mobile in the UK.
As more millennials enter and rise through the ranks of the workforce, companies will benefit from catering towards this tech-savvy generation. In other words, corporations that hone their mobile identities will appeal to younger applicants.
Not only will businesses start to see increased applications, with candidates able to search for, find and apply for jobs on the go, it will also give the impression of a mobile-friendly, innovative company, which is a key part of your employer branding.
A smooth, easy-to-use application process will ensure the role you’re advertising for gets the candidates it needs applying to roles that may not have been uncovered via a desktop experience.
Russell Schramm, VP talent acquisition for the Americas at Philips sums this mobile first attitude up efficiently, as reported by Undercover Recruiter: “Mobile accessibility has enabled employers to connect with more passive, on-the-fly candidates that they were otherwise unlikely to engage, to deliver more personalised messages that wouldn’t have otherwise been noticed, and to communicate with prospects on their terms vs. the employers’. Safe to say the existential ‘War for Talent’ has become a little more intense.”
Given the increasing skills gap (Forbes reports that over half of employers said they couldn’t find qualified candidates for open jobs), having more options will boost the likelihood of forward-thinking millennials applying for roles.
Sleek, well-curated career pages and social media profiles are also essential to attracting qualified employees.
Social media allows information to be circulated quickly and efficiently, allowing you to target the candidates who already have an interest in your company and are likely to be brand advocates. It allows you to open a dialogue with candidates and gives the ability to engage with them throughout the selection process.
Sending these candidates a personalised message will make them much more interested, allowing them to feel like businesses are catering to them instead of the other way around.
A beneficial strategy for businesses is to utilise available technology to conduct video interviews. These interviews not only save money through the elimination of travel expenses, but they’re also more convenient for applicants, as a convenient time can be agreed upon well in advance.
The hiring process can be extremely expensive for companies in that it often takes up to forty-five days to fill an open position. Video interviews will allow these corporations to examine more candidates than they ever could before, and in a much smaller window, cutting the losses suffered from hiring delays dramatically.
By utilising tools like video interviewing and mobile-consciousness, employers will be able to put their best foot forward in the race to stay relevant and cutting-edge. But if companies take the time to craft an online presence that accurately reflects their qualities, they shouldn’t have to sacrifice their brand identity in order to attract job applicants.
If your business has been successful in the past, there is no need to fix what isn’t broken. Relevance doesn’t have to mean a complete overhaul: think of it instead as tinkering with an already successful recruitment process, optimising it for a new age in business.
