How to Make Your Recruiting Stand Out Based on the Latest Hiring Data

Has hiring felt impossible recently? You're not alone. Between rising inflation, a surge in Delta cases, and an unpredictable labor market, employers everywhere are facing a brand-new set of recruiting challenges.

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The latest data from the 8,500+ companies who use JazzHR to recruit backs this up. New job creation skyrocketed 134% from January through the end of July, but applications haven’t kept up the same pace (with a mere 4% increase for the same time period).

So what does this mean for businesses like yours? It’s a candidate’s market, and employers must adapt in order to compete. Here’s how you can stand out based on the latest data and trends:

Double down on your employer brand

Job seeker expectations have changed. Between health concerns, childcare challenges, and the shift to remote work, candidates expect added transparency and flexibility.

Your hiring process should address these needs in a clear and compelling way if you want to stand out. To instill confidence, audit each candidate touch point to ensure you’re clearly conveying your mission, growth trajectory, and incentives/benefits.

Consider including language around how your organization has responded to the pandemic and are continuing to support employees directly on your career page. In job descriptions, include a clear mention of salary range and schedule expectations.

Remember to also give job seekers a glimpse of life at your company (even if you’re remote!). Use social media to showcase your company’s culture by posting content around events, larger initiatives, and employee testimonials.

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Embrace the technology you have and look for new ways to automate

The pandemic fast-tracked business’ shift to digital recruitment, and job seekers have now come to expect a seamless experience.

For example, 77% of businesses have adopted new screening technology (e.g. pre-employment assessments, video interviewing) in response to the pandemic. They’re also digitizing the new-hire stage of the recruiting process at an increasing rate — JazzHR customers accelerated their sending of eDocuments (e.g. offer letters, new-hire paperwork, etc.) by 52% from January to the end of July.

Whether it be at the application, interview, or onboarding stage, focus on reducing friction as much as possible. Is there an area of your process where you’re still relying on spreadsheets or disjointed steps? Audit your existing tech stack to identify gaps and opportunities for time savings in order to keep job seekers engaged.

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Tap into new talent pools

The makeup of available talent has changed dramatically since before the pandemic. Twenty-five percent of job seekers have changed industries since this time last year, and over half either have or plan to find a second source of income outside of their current job.

It’s critical to broaden your definition of the “ideal” candidate—and expand the channels you use to reach them. In healthcare, for example, applications to U.S. medical schools shot up nearly 20% last fall, and nursing schools are seeing similar spikes. Organizations in these sectors should try connecting with local colleges and universities to engage with the workforce of the future.

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Regardless of your industry, it’s important to pay close attention to where interested job seekers are coming from and how they’re behaving. Are candidates without the ideal level of experience applying to your open roles? Consider creating apprenticeship programs and upskilling campaigns to capture new talent (even if they’re not the “perfect” fit right now).

There are a number of external factors at play making recruiting especially challenging right now — but that doesn’t mean you and your team are powerless. Adapt your process now and continue to iterate for future recruitment success.

Want to create a more seamless hiring experience? See how JazzHR can help.