With a record-level employee turnover rate, millions of job openings to fill, a volatile labour market, a post-pandemic shift in candidate priorities and recruiter burnout at an all-time high, talent acquisition agents are desperately seeking a solution to alleviate these challenges. Recruiting managers require resilience in their pursuit of a scalable talent acquisition strategy that will attract, source and retain quality candidates.
Into the midst of these turbulent times steps Starcircle – your talent acquisition strategy requires a partner equipped with the best AI technology and skilled human insights to help recruiters ride out the waves of uncertainty.
Here we unpack 4 strategies to assist talent acquisition agents in handling setbacks:
#1 Adapting client requirements
The fluidity and changing nature of today’s job market create great pressure for senior managers looking to source candidates that not only fit the vacant job description but also adhere to a portfolio of new responsibilities. This burden trickles down to recruitment teams whose initial search for candidates can fail to fit the ever-evolving client brief, leaving managers dissatisfied and candidates disappointed.
How can recruitment teams address this?
- Initiate a clearer communication process with client management teams with updates on any additional requirements
- Request client feedback on past placements where any skills or experience gaps were detected
- Ensure regular feedback on job specification updates with candidates so they are not set back in interviews.
#2 A competitive hiring context
Competition for work opportunities in certain industries (such as pharma and tech) is fierce, with skilled and qualified candidates in demand across the board, making it tough for senior recruiters to maintain interest and attract the most suitable applicants.
How can recruitment teams address this?
Talent Acquisition agents should be proactive in adopting a fool-proof talent acquisition strategy to not only attract active, qualified and skilled candidates but to also source passive talent.
Ensuring a positive candidate experience is essential to carry the interest of quality candidates with longtail prospects. This means:
- Shortening feedback loops with candidates
- Improving collaboration and communication with clients
- Having a longer-term view of sourcing candidates, with an expanded recruiting pipeline to quickly fill vacancies
- Enhancing the company’s brand reputation throughout the hiring process
#3 Limited candidates to choose from
If your once tried-and-tested recruitment strategy has started to raise some red flags, or your previously strong community of candidates is dwindling while connections with a skilled talent pipeline are beginning to dissipate, it’s not just you – it’s a common phenomenon in 2023.
According to a recent McKinsey Report, many companies are struggling to fill vacancies: “There are approximately 3 million more new job openings in the U.S. alone compared to February 2020. This translates to a historic tightness of the U.S. labour market, with 4 million more job openings than unemployed workers.”
How can recruitment teams address this?
Through leveraging technology and optimising their talent acquisition strategy by connecting with a trusted talent acquisition partner, companies can:
- Leverage data-driven insights and analytics to expose bottlenecks in the recruitment process and find opportunities to speed up the hiring of quality candidates
- Keep track of their talent pipeline and applicant flow to uncover opportunities for improvement
- Make use of recruitment software and an ATS that suits the size and unique hiring requirements of the organisation
- Tap into the pipeline of undiscovered talent
- Access new paths of talent sourcing
- Unlock quality long-tail candidates
#4 Candidates lack necessary qualifications
The discovery that many of the passive and active candidates that you sourced are not skilled enough to take on the role can be a source of immense frustration for recruiters. Weeks of hard work appear to be fruitless, with limited options for sourcing new talent.
How can recruitment teams address this?
- Reassess your candidate sourcing methods and look out for new avenues of talent acquisition (if you’re not sure how to do this, jump on to the next paragraph)
- Avoid returning to the same, conventional recruitment methods
- Consider an alternative means of sourcing a more diverse talent pool
- Employ a longer-term talent acquisition strategy, with a proactive talent pipeline to occupy future anticipated vacancies
- Develop a streamlined process where new openings can be filled quickly with quality candidates.
Align with a future-proof talent acquisition specialist
Finding the answers to the common aforementioned scenarios plaguing recruiters is as simple as selecting the right talent acquisition partner.
Trusted by some of the world’s most exciting companies, Starcircle is here to help you broaden your field of vision, use market intelligence and talent analytics to get more candidates moving through the hiring funnel and access passive talent.
