Top tips and market trends for Clients and Candidates in 2022

As we head towards the Christmas and New Year holidays, Thomas Burston shares his top tips and market trends for Clients and Candidates in 2022.

Clients

Make Recruitment a Priority

Throughout my recruitment career, I've had the pleasure in placing some fantastic candidates and working with incredible clients across a wide range of sectors. From global investment banks, boutique asset managers and top tier law firms, to Premier League football clubs and major tech companies. The one constant that I've always seen, whatever the sector, is those companies that prioritise Talent Acquisition will come out on top. If you're the hiring manager for a live role, then plan ahead and make yourself available for interviewing. The market is in a talent shortage right now and businesses can't afford to be lackadaisical when it comes to hiring. Efficiency is absolutely key to your recruitment process. Therefore, when the perfect talent is presented to you, you're ready to move quickly and beat your competition. 

"The Sell"

Be under no illusion. The candidates hold the power in this market. Which means your job as a hiring manager / in-house recruiter is no longer just ensuring the candidate is right for you. You need to position and sell your company to ensure that you are right for them. The way you really get to know your candidate is becoming invaluable. Get to know their values, what they want in their career, what they look for in an employer and their financial expectations. Once you have understood, and appreciated, this information, you will know how to position your company as an employer that suits them on every level. It is not a one size fits all sell. It's tailored specifically to the candidate sitting in front of you. Once they have understood that you understand what is important to them and are relating this to how your company can provide to those needs, the conversation will go so much smoother. Even from a data perspective, note down what these expectations are. Because once you are speaking to enough candidates, you will be able to build a picture of what the most important factors are to your candidate base, which can form a great foundation for building your Employer Brand. 

Employer Branding

The emergence of employer branding will become a prominent trend throughout 2022. Since the start of the pandemic, a lot has been highlighted about how businesses have had to learn to adapt to the new ways of working. Flexible hours, virtual workforces and overall employee experience has all come to the forefront of daily work life. Candidates are focussing more on understanding the company values, culture and mission of the business and how it aligns to them on a personal level. What is your company's brand identity and what is your value proposition? Is it based on your genuine working environment & culture? It should NOT be based around what your management team wants your company to be known for. If the experience the new joiner has does not match their expectations, it adds an enormous amount of pressure on your retention strategy. 

Candidate Experience

Following on from your employer brand, the candidate experience is now becoming vital too and a trend we will continue to see grow in 2022. An amazing statistic showed recently that up to 58% of job seekers in 2021 have said they have declined a job offer due to a poor candidate experience with a potential employer. Now more than ever, it's imperative to keep candidate's engaged throughout the hiring experience and ensure you are moving through the process in a thoughtful and timely manner. Some key tips to help avoid being part of the 58% include clear and outlined job responsibilities, interviewers that are respectful and prepared, prompt communication throughout each stage and an efficient application process. Don't forget that the recruitment process doesn't stop at onboarding. Ensure the candidate remains engaged during their notice period and they have the best possible welcome to the role waiting for them.

Candidates

Understand Your Motivations

2022 is your year. 'New Year, New Me' and you've decided that you want a new role. Great! One of the key measures to take into account when making a change is your motivation. We all have different reasons to get out of bed in the morning and go to work. But it's really important to understand your drive and ask yourself the 'why?' of feeling like you need a change. Do you feel underpaid? No progression? Are you working in a culture that's not right for you?... First of all, if you are feeling this way then make sure you are exploring and talking through these issues internally with your hiring manager or HR team. If afterwards you still feel this can't be resolved, then you have peace of mind that you're in the wrong position and it's time to make a change. So when that job offer comes along, you know that you're sure of making the correct decision to join a like minded business that meets your values.

Don't Oversaturate

When it comes to your job search, your personal brand is incredibly important. This is reflective in who you choose to partner with for your job search. Limit yourself with no more than between 1 and 3 trusted recruitment agents that understand you and what your requirements are for a new role. It's not uncommon that multiple agents will be working with multiple similar clients, therefore it's imperative that you are clear in who you are speaking to and where you are being represented in the market.

Invest In Yourself

I saw a statistic the other day that stated we spend on average 90,000 hours of our life at work... That's roughly a third of your life! It's safe to say therefore, that your job has a huge impact on your wellbeing and general life outcomes. That's why investing in yourself is so important. Upskilling in your specific field and going the extra mile to gain a qualification or take a course will really make you stand out from other candidates at interview stage. However, also invest in taking time for yourself to ensure you are performing your best at work. Most businesses are wising up now to flexible working and employee wellbeing benefits where lunchtime run clubs, healthy snacks and out of hours social activities are becoming standard practice in the workplace. Utilise these where you can or at least make sure you are structuring your day to factor in your wellbeing and avoid any potential burnout.

#employerbranding #recruitmentmarketing #hiring #candidateexperience #wellbeing