4 Common Recruiting Challenges And How To Overcome Them

It's no secret that recruiting challenges continue to be one of HR's top priorities. From the stories our colleagues share with us about crazy competition, poaching employees from other companies, and salary offers out of the range of their budgets, it reminds me of the current real estate market! Candidates are "selling" their talent just like people are selling their homes. Candidates are demanding top-tier salaries just like home sellers are demanding top prices for their homes. Bidding wars and increasing costs...does it feel like a misalignment of value? And how do you determine what price point you are comfortable in? Can you get value when you don't have the budget for it? You could even say recruiters and realtors are filling the same role! And right now, it's a seller's market in both industries.

So, how do you overcome these recruiting challenges? It's a tough nut to crack when you consider that the employment market has yet to recover from the pandemic's impact. That's why we've compiled a list of four common recruiting challenges and the solutions you can use to overcome them. From finding candidates through social media to tracking applications and the hiring process, these tips will help you get the best candidates for your open positions. So don't hesitate - start using these strategies today to overcome recruitment challenges and make hiring easier than ever!

Recruiting Challenges And Solutions

Recruiting is a process that requires time, effort, and patience. However, the challenges that hiring managers face can often cause the process to be rushed and flawed. Or, on the flip side, dragged out too long and the candidate withdraws from the process. Here are some challenges and solutions that should put you on the right track to discover and hire talent as unemployment rates rise across the globe.

1. Attracting The Perfect Fit

Challenge:
You're looking for the right candidate that meets your job requirements, has the right skills and experience, and can settle nicely into your culture. However, you're seeing applications come in from people that don't have the right qualifications. The reality is, there is a skill shortage. According to a Korn Ferry Study, the global talent deficit could reach more than 85 million workers by 2030, threatening business growth around the world. When you can't fill an open position, it can result in lost productivity and revenue. You're tempted to pick the best person you can find at the time, rather than the right person for the job. How can you find the perfect fit?

Solution:
Advertising a job opening is similar to marketing your company's product or service. Establish your company brand as a credible authority in your industry. Write blog posts. Be a guest speaker on a podcast or webinar. Stay visible, engaged, and relevant in social media channels. This will attract quality candidates to you.

2. Hiring Quickly

Challenge:
Hiring is one of the most important tasks that you can carry out as an HR professional. Unfortunately, it's also one of the most difficult, as hiring challenges seem to pop up at every turn. Whether it's conducting too many interviews, manually gathering data and running reports for leadership, or going through too many steps in your hiring process that slows things down and causes candidates to withdraw, these challenges can all hinder the speed at which you can hire.

Solution:
Have a clear, efficient and streamlined recruiting and hiring process that you stick to religiously. This will help you filter out candidates quickly and effectively, and reduce the chances of making a mistake.

3. Using A Data-Driven Approach

Challenge:
There are many challenges that come with implementing a data-driven approach to your recruiting efforts. Maybe you aren't able to acquire accurate and timely data. Maybe you don't have the right systems in place to automate the gathering and analyzing of data. And maybe your HR team is hesitant to use, or is intimidated by, technology to gather and use data to make decisions. This can be a real struggle.

Solution:
Get the right HR systems in place to gather and analyze data so your team can trust the insights. Key systems HR professionals should use include an HRIS, ATS, and an HR Analytics Dashboard, to name a few. Then train your team to use those systems every day.

4. Ensuring A Good Candidate Experience

Challenge:
In a recent study, only 32% of candidates rated their most recent job search experience as "very good." In fact, the experience of looking for a job is universally hated. 73% of candidates rate job searching as one of the most stress-inducing things in life - more stressful than public speaking, doing taxes, or even getting a root canal!

Solution:
Set yourself apart from the pack by investing in process improvements. You should also include post-interview surveys in your hiring process to make sure you can measure your own candidate experience and optimize based on the insights from the data.

Conclusion
Recruiting is a process that requires time, effort, and dedication from both the recruiter and the candidate. And with the right tools and strategies in place, hiring can be much smoother and more efficient. In this blog post, we've outlined some of the most common recruiting challenges and provided solutions to help you overcome them. I'd love to hear how you're changing up the way you do your recruiting by implementing some of these solutions. Feel free to contact me directly at bruce@employeecycle.com.