How to Master the Art of Talent Acquisition in Today’s Business Climate
As someone looking for the best talent for your company, you’re likely facing some significant challenges. According to LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends report from 2023, hiring decreased worldwide, with the hiring rate dropping by nearly 30 percent in the United States.
While hiring slowed, internal mobility rose across most industries. These statistics demonstrate the need for hiring someone with the proper skill set, who the company can upskill to train for more responsibilities and roles.
However, according to PageInsights’ own Global Talent Trends report, finding the right candidate is increasingly difficult as new expectations in the job market arose following the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, there was already an issue with a rise in skill shortages. Still, employers are now facing additional challenges, such as changing work patterns that rely more on remote work and a geopolitical climate that’s left potential candidates looking for more financial benefits.
There’s a lot to think about when looking for the right candidate. With the issue of skills shortages, investing in tools that can help you learn more about each potential employee is crucial. You want to pay attention to data showing if this person is the missing puzzle piece for your team or an altogether bad fit.
However, collecting data is just one part of building your talent acquisition strategy. More work arises once you have an interested candidate you think would be a good fit. How can you reel them in?
Let’s consider how you can convince your perfect candidate to become your best new employee.
How to Communicate With New Candidates Effectively?
You’ve found a candidate that you want to bring on board. Now what? It’s time to make some introductions.
Though hiring slowed over the past year, that doesn’t mean your candidate isn’t considering other roles. You need to show them why your company is where they belong. That starts with how you communicate with them.
In today’s climate, sending an introductory email is better than a phone call. Emails put the ball in the candidate’s court. If you call them, you may catch them off guard. Even worse, you may catch them while they are at their current place of employment and put them in a difficult position, which may leave a sour taste in their mouth regarding your company. Meanwhile, a text message is simply not formal enough for talent acquisition.
Sending an email gives the candidate time to consider your company before responding. You’re not putting them on the spot like you might with a phone call. But some emails are better for attracting talent than others.
According to a study by Boomerang, emails written at a third-grade reading level were 36 percent more likely to get a response than those written at a college level. Avoid technical jargon, and keep your message short, sweet, and concise. Stick between 50 and 125 words.
Be sure you put some time into crafting your subject line, as 33 percent of people open their emails based on the subject line alone. Keep your subject line under ten words, and consider addressing your candidate by name.
Doing so increases the chances of them opening your email.
Interviewing With Talent Acquisition in Mind
Your candidate has responded to the email. You’ve set the interview time. How can you sell your company through the interview process?
First, you may want to demonstrate your company’s flexibility by giving the candidate options. With the rise of remote work has also come a boom in virtual interviewing. It’s become less and less expected for candidates to travel to the office to interview. By allowing them to interview via phone or video conferencing, you’re showing that your company is keeping up with the times and helping them envision the work-life balance your business can offer.
During the interview, it’s up to you to continue selling that vision.
Consider utilizing a speaking technique that’s long helped some top CEOs persuade their audience: Monroe’s Motivated Sequence. This persuasive speaking technique has you appeal to your audience to understand your solution to an existing problem.
Let’s break down the steps and how you can apply them to interviewing.
- Get their attention: Address a problem. You may want to discuss what’s happening in your candidate’s industry, such as inadequate work-life balance or low internal mobility.
- Establish the need: Show how this problem is affecting the industry. Use evidence like statistics and studies.
- Satisfy the need: How does your company address this problem? What can the candidate expect at your company to keep this problem at bay?
- Visualize the future: Paint a picture for your candidate. What does life look like at your company? Help them see themselves there.
- Call to action: Ask your candidate about moving forward to the next steps. If you’ve done the first four steps right, hopefully, they’re ready for the next round of interviews or to sign their contract.
Mastering Talent Acquisition
Hiring in 2023 looks different from how it did several years ago. With a widening skills gap, spending time with well-vetted candidates with the talent you’re looking for is more important now than ever.
Once you have the person in mind, you must sell the company to them.
It starts with respectful, attention-grabbing communications, like professional emails they’ll want to read. From there, you need to continue selling in the interview process. Techniques like Monroe’s Motivated Sequence can help you show why your company is where they want to be.
In addition to the strategies mentioned, it’s essential to emphasize the company culture and values. Candidates today prioritize alignment with a company’s mission and values more than ever. They want to know they’re joining an organization that stands for something meaningful and contributes positively to society.
By showcasing your company’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainability, you can attract candidates who are not just looking for a job but a purpose-driven career. This alignment can increase job satisfaction, loyalty, and overall better performance, making it a win-win for both the employer and the employee.
Consider looking at your talent acquisition strategy and retooling it to fit today’s business climate for a better chance of finding the best candidates.
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