• Hiring the right people to work in your business and for your business has always been one of the most crucial aspects of a successful organisation.
• Given the current skill shortage for the high consumer expectations and demands in the market, small business especially struggle with attracting top talents.
• Here are our 5 low cost ways to help you recruit the best talents without breaking the bank.

Stephen R. Covey once said “always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customer”. Whilst he was speaking about employee engagement, the same can be said when it comes to attracting and hiring employees for your business. With the current skill shortage, and meeting market pay parity as the cost of living increases, it is becoming more difficult than ever to compete with the big players for the most skilled workers. 

But the truth of the matter is that work is becoming nimbler. Prospective employees crave (and expect) flexibility, empathy and balance, and SME’s are in a better position to deliver this than large and rigid corporate organisations. Forbes recently found that after fair salary, work-life balance was the single most important factor that made employees stay in their current positions or accept a new one, and most people would be happy to trade off organisation size to achieve it. 

But how do you stand out from the crowd? What is going to make potential employees submit a resume or pick up the phone? And how can you make it happen without breaking the bank? See my top five low-cost ways to attract top talent.

Great Careers page 

We all know that web design and user experience are KEY when it comes to conversions on your website, and the same can be said for candidates. Your careers page should let potential future employees know exactly why they should apply. Make sure it is easy to find (up top) and that the copy is punchy, concise and in your brand’s tone of voice. People who visit this page should get a feeling of exactly what it would be like to come to work with you every day, so make it eye-catching, unique and authentic.

Recruitment Marketing

With your killer Careers page sorted, now it’s time to sort the recruitment marketing. Recruitment marketing is the strategies and tactics you use to find, attract, engage and nurture potential future employees before they apply to a vacancy. Over 14.4 million people in the US alone used social media to look for or pursue a position, but nearly 2 in 3 employees said that their employer does not know how to use social media to promote a job opening, so take advantage and work on getting your socials right.

Make sure your employees are connected on LinkedIn and that you post regularly on these channels to keep the content fresh and relevant. Get your team to have a round robin blog, or create a video that talks about why your employees love working in your organisation so much. Apply some SEO principals here and get the digital media working for you.  

Say what now?

Catching fish is dependent on visibility and strategy, but if you don’t have the right bait…you’re a goner! Your recruitment ad IS bait. It is the most important piece of marketing collateral you will pass out to job seekers, so treat it that way!

Write for your audience and make it as readable as possible. Don’t just proofread for mistakes, make sure your ad copy is gender neutral and inclusive so you’re casting your net as widely as possible. On average, prospective employees will only spend 50 seconds reading a job ad before applying, so make sure the takeaway points standout from the crowd of letters on the page.  

Brand baby brand

It’s not just about your logo…consider getting a branded ad template up on SEEK. The more visually appealing and exciting your job ad is, the more people will read it. And remember that video we talked about making? Embed it in your seek ad. It doesn’t cost anything extra, but according to Diode Digital, 60% of viewers will watch a video before reading text and video promotion is 600% more effective that print and direct mail advertising combined. Still not convinced it’s a good place to spend your money? Then set up a time lapse on your phone of life at your office, or make it an office comp. We are visual beings…so the closer to the top of the page your video is, the better!

Virality 

Once you’ve got an amazing careers page, effective recruitment marketing and a killer ad coupled with perfect visuals, you’ve still got to get it seen. People think that going viral is hard, but let’s break it down. If all 20 of your employees post your job ad and it gets distributed onto 100 of their LinkedIn connections, then your ad has gone out to 2000 people. Presuming only 0.5% of the people who see it are the right fit, you’ve still drawn 10 potential candidates towards your company without spending a cent. Repeat on Facebook and that number doubles! But remember call-to-action is key. Make sure that the candidates that see the ad know exactly what to do next to apply. 

Attracting candidates can be hard, but as an SME you have the freedom to make the process simple, easy and human. With a user-friendly Careers page, a solid recruitment marketing strategy and an effective and tailored ad, you can offer candidates a happy, flexible and engaging place to work, and grab the most skilled workers out from under the big guys’ noses.  

Feeling overwhelmed with the task at hand? Not all HR practitioners charge ‘recruiter’ fees. We specialise in consulting with SMEs on their HR and recruitment strategies, and are here to help if you need us. Click on my profile to get in contact.