It is easy to jump head first into hiring; put up an ad, expect a pile of candidates to apply, and wait for the right person to fall out the other side. In today’s competitive market, top candidates will have choice and a factor in their decision-making will be their candidate experience.

From the moment that a candidate reads your job ad and decides to apply, they are interacting with your brand. They’ll be forming opinions so it’s important to ensure that your process and messaging is spot on.

Firstly, ensure that for a seamless application process is in place. Have you ever tried applying for one of your jobs? The frustration of having to submit information, then resubmit in a different form, for example, can put a stop to people applying instantly. Can someone apply from a mobile device? It sounds like a simple question but you would be surprised how many applications cannot be made this way. 

It’s also important for communications (internally and externally) to be up to scratch. Whether it’s good news, bad news, or a lack of progress, feedback is essential at each step of the process – it will only leave a good impression on your candidates.

Finally, create an effective Employee Value Proposition. Take the time and effort to look at what sets you apart from competitors. Once this is defined, be it training and development, values and culture or even projects or progression opportunities, utilise this in messaging and communications, ensuring those involved in the recruitment process can continuously emphasise.

Promote Brand Ambassadors

When it comes to marketing yourself as a great place to work, your own employees are valuable ambassadors and one of the most effective ways of gaining a good reputation. Target some Brand Ambassadors within your organisation who can help build your reputation in the market. Empower them to spread the good word by representing the company at industry events. People like to work with great people, so put your stars out for all to see.

Traditionally, culture was difficult to gauge from the outside, but through social media, reviews through Glass door and Indeed, it has become so much easier to gain insight. Use these channels to showcase why people should be excited about joining your team.

Market Yourself Honestly

With so much information available online and people putting more effort into researching employers, it’s more important than ever to maintain your employer brand. In the Construction and Engineering market it is important to be authentic and honest in what you put to market. Your messaging should be a true reflection of the role and what the organisation is really like. It might be tempting to oversell yourself to bring people through the door, but if expectations are not met people can become disengaged and potentially leave. This will a) hurt your brand and b) restart the recruitment process.

Owning your organisational identity and presenting it honestly will allow people to opt in or out and attract candidates who share your values and be more likely to fit your culture. 

Move Quickly 

In today’s market, top candidates often have multiple offers to consider at any one time, so speed to hire is crucial to securing the best employees. Have a look at your hiring process, step by step. How long does it take to get to the interview stage? Can you identify any bottlenecks within the process that need to be removed or streamlined? With a process that drags on too long you run the risk of missing out on those hires you really want to make.

A Specialist Recruitment Agency can help here. By taking care of the early stages of the recruitment process, it means you are presented with only the market’s top available candidates.

Summary

Getting the right people interested in your organisation is not always an easy task, but there is a lot you can do to help stand out from your competition. At RobLawMax, we understand the intricacies and nuances of the Construction & Engineering market. For more candidate attraction advice, or for support in your hiring, get in touch with the team.