Hiring in 2021/2022 – recruitment is all about timing right now

The days of having a lot of time to think about making someone an offer are a thing of the past now, because if you wait too long, that person that you really want to bring on board will no longer be available.

The way the market is at the moment, if you have someone that you feel is a good fit for your business, it’s best to make a decision really quickly. There may, of course, be a process that you have to go through and you may also want to be able to make comparisons, but the longer it takes you to snap them up or make a decision, the higher the chances of them attending other interviews and being offered another post elsewhere.   

So what can you do to affect a good outcome for you?

• Build rapport – in our experience, candidates talk a lot about how they felt when they met the people and how they want to work for people that they like and can connect with. 

• Ask open questions – find out what is important to the person you’re looking to bring on board and discuss what they’re looking for in their next role. Frustratingly, this step can sometimes be omitted but in reality people like to talk about themselves and they like the feeling of being heard. So if you’re asking them about them and their work history and what they like and dislike and you’re showing genuine interest in the person you have in front of you, it will be noticed and will be the start of a good working relationship.

• Bring them onsite –  they will want to know who they’re going to be working with and even where they’ll be sitting so they can visualise being part of the team. The team environment is important and can really sell an opportunity. 

• Long notice period – we would suggest actually getting them to come in to see the team or arrange a virtual team meeting before their start date. 

• Benefits – what do you have that’s being offered that could potentially be of interest to people?

• Good holidays – most people are offering a minimum of 22, but 25 days is actually a very common holiday allowance so we would encourage you to look at this if you are still only offering 20 days. 

• Flexible working – this is definitely high on people’s list of important factors. Hybrid working is certainly here to stay, and with more and more employers offering this as a feature of their work, if you aren’t offering it then you will be potentially losing out on people who are being given that option by other organisations.

For Rosa dos Santos, owner of Exact Sourcing, there’s an art to hiring successfully. ‘In our many years in the industry we’ve worked with clients with varying levels of skills and experience when it comes to hiring,’ comments Rosa. ‘Because you’re dealing with people, hiring can be somewhat unpredictable, but we do believe that by sticking to some tried and tested rules, you can give yourself the best possible chance of a successful outcome. Above all, it’s important to develop a strong relationship with your candidate as soon as you can – people buy people, and you’re looking for your potential employee to engage with you and feel comfortable and confident that they’ll fit in. Salary and benefits are clearly important, but Covid-19 has taught us that being happy at work and at home is paramount.’

Exact Sourcing is a recruitment agency in Cambridge and Newmarket. If you’re looking to recruit a new member to your team and would welcome some advice, please contact us.

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