Recruitment Advice for Employers

A successful hiring process begins with a clear and specific job description. But what exactly should yours contain? Of course, non-negotiable requirements should be listed to avoid unsuitable applications. If your listing is too generic, unspecialised jobseekers might apply.

However, according to an often-cited report, women are unlikely to apply for jobs unless they have 100% of the skills required, whilst men will apply if they have 60% (source). What this demonstrates is that specifying too many qualities and skills in a job listing may actually dissuade promising jobseekers from applying. It’s a careful balance between writing your employee ‘wish-list’, and discouraging perfectly suitable applications.

It’s also important to distinguish your opportunity from all the others on the job market. In the battle for talent, a strong company culture alongside some attractive perks can make a big difference to the calibre of candidates you attract. Make sure you describe all this fully in the listing.

It’s not all about the money, but money is important. When searching for a new role, work-life balance and flexibility is a key concern for jobseekers, but it’s also become expected – a minimum requirement on their end. This combined with rising energy costs and inflation has meant that in the race to secure top talent, salary has re-emerged as the key driving factor behind career shifts.

To make sure your recruitment process is successful, it’s critical to remain competitive and understand where your offering sits in the employment market. You need to offer at least the minimum expected for the role in question – and offering more than that will set you apart. For businesses in freight forwarding and logistics, why not take a look at our salary survey to gain an idea of current trends?

Download the 2022 salary survey >

How and where you search can make a big difference to your hiring process. Generic job boards are insufficient for many businesses, and passive jobseekers won’t necessarily be looking there. Instead, be creative with your talent search.

You could attend or even host industry events to build a network of talent and establish yourself as a thought leader in the field; you could also start an employee referral programme. You should also consider hiring internally if the role allows it, as this will make current staff feel positive about their career progression opportunities and help you retain talent (more on that later!).

Another great way to seek out top talent is to work with a recruitment agency. They’ll have a network of talent already which you can gain access too, and the experience sourcing and hiring jobseekers with skills relevant to your industry.

Find out more about working with Midas >

Lots of businesses are on the hunt for talent, so you need to sell your opportunity. Why should a jobseeker choose your role over another? Once you’ve worked this out, you need to promote these reasons effectively.

It’s hard to predict exactly what top talent will be looking for, but there are certain things that will always be appreciated. Review and finetune your employee benefits provision to make sure it’s both supporting and rewarding your staff. Then, tell people about it in the job listing and on social media.

You could also consider non-monetary benefits like flexible working options, as many jobseekers are looking for this. Though businesses in certain industries like freight forwarding and logistics can find it more difficult to offer remote working, doing so if you can will make your role stand out.

Hiring well means hiring quickly. Improving the efficiency of your recruitment is good for your business and good for your prospective employees too. If you’re process tends to take a while, it’s time to pick up the pace.

Of course, working with a recruitment agency can make a massive difference to the speed at which you can process applications. Other methods of doing so include staying organised and using checklists, building templated emails to send updates to candidates, and using tracking software to manage each stage effectively.

Searching for a job can take a lot of time and energy. If your application form is too long, promising jobseekers might be put off, whereas refining your hiring process will encourage a greater number of applications. It’s also important to keep your careers page updated and inform applicants throughout the process.

Keeping in touch is especially crucial when it comes to high level talent. These sought after candidates are likely to be fielding offers from multiple employers, and won’t wait around if their experience with you is sub-standard. This all contributes to the creation of a successful employer brand – and it’s vital you pitch yourself right to attract top talent.

The way you evaluate applications can mean the difference between identifying the right person, and letting them slip through your fingers. To get started, create an ideal candidate persona, thinking through all the qualities and skills you’re looking for, and the responsibilities this person will need to fulfil.

Once you have this in mind, you can plan interview and screening questions to test for these exact requirements. In the interview itself, it’s important to ask specific questions that they might not have rehearsed – and keep these the same across every interview to allow for direct comparison.

Across the globe, 40% of jobseekers consider company culture their top priority when choosing a job (source). Company culture is hard to define, but it’s created by you, your employees, your shared values, and the working environment you cultivate. It’s also central to the creation of a good employer brand.

Not only can company culture be a unique selling point for prospective jobseekers, but promoting it makes it more likely you’ll attract talent whose values align with your own. That means they’ll cohere better with your existing employees, everyone is likely to feel comfortable, supported, and satisfied, and you’ll experience reduced turnover as a result.

Many jobseekers are on the hunt for a role that permits a hybrid arrangement of on-the-go, remote, and in-person working. This mode of working often suits people’s lifestyles better, improves their work-life balance, and enables them to choose to work where they are most productive.

Figures show that in the UK alone, 4 in 5 workers want greater flexibility when it comes to where they work, and 47% would change jobs if flexible working wasn’t an option. With the same true across the globe, it’s clear for employers that offering hybrid roles will not just attract talent, but also improve employee retention.

At Midas, we specialise in freight forwarding and logistics recruitment, and in these fields hybrid arrangements aren’t always practical. However, showing a willingness to engage with the idea and offer greater flexibility where possible will do wonders for your recruitment process and increase employee satisfaction.

Learn more about our remote hiring process >

If you’re worried about your recruitment process, then it’s time to call in the experts. Working with a recruitment agency can offer numerous benefits when it comes to perfecting the way you hire. Not only will this free up your time to optimise other areas of your HR, but it will also help you review and shortlist applicants more effectively.

Working with someone who specialises in recruitment for your industry means gaining access to a pool of jobseekers with highly relevant skills. They will also understand the requirements of the role in question, and will be better able to support you when it comes screening, interviewing, and negotiating with jobseekers, ultimately helping you hire the right person.

Discover Our Top Talent >

No matter how good at recruitment you are, staff retention is of paramount importance. Even the most slick and streamlined hiring process takes time, and regular turnover means regular productivity losses and disruption. More than that, happy and supported employees are more productive and more committed to their work – and the cost of a bad hire cannot be understated! If you want to encourage your staff to stick around, here are some things you can do:

• Reward employees for good work.
• Provide training, development, and progression opportunities.
• Be a responsible employer with a clear CSR policy.
• Promote company values, respect, and inclusivity in the workplace.
• Review and improve employee benefits package.
• Establish successful onboarding procedure.

Ready to optimise your hiring process? At Midas, we work with employers of all scales to improve the way they recruit and retain their employees. With us, you can rest easy in the knowledge that you’ll always have the talent you need to thrive.

Get in touch today to start the journey!