Beat the recruitment frenzy!

It feels like everyone is on the lookout for fresh talent these days. The last few months have seen an unprecedented level of recruitment activity in the worldwide IT market; although nothing quite explains why.  Meadows – along with surely every other IT recruiter in the UK – is undergoing the highs and lows of an incredibly buoyant market that swept in without the slightest warning. Every day brings a new brief and a fresh set of candidates eager to capitalise on the spirit of competition between employers. And there are no signs that the recruitment frenzy is about to change.

In such an unusually bullish market, Meadows’ advice to employers is to continue asking themselves how they can be sure to attract the best individuals into their organisation and what sort of person will enhance their team dynamic; rather than simply looking for skills. It’s an approach that works – especially when there’s always a rival employer fishing for the same talent. Bidding wars have become commonplace for sought-after skills, with the usual suspects being Microsoft-based skills (.net etc), SAP/Oracle skill sets and Business Analysts.

Big up the benefits

The long and the short of it is that there simply aren’t enough candidates to go round. The few candidates who are looking to move are not always sufficiently well incentivised to leave. In this competitive recruitment environment good candidates need to hear more than simply “we need you”: they need a long list of benefits (tangible and intangible) to dislodge them from their seats. We still don’t think that employers in general recognise the strength of a worker’s freedom of choice: enticing a skilled, highly employable individual to accept a new position requires a work environment that is demonstrably better suited to their long term needs than their existing one. Meadows encourages employers to think carefully about what it is about their environment that will make fresh blood want to be a part of it.

Brand helps

There are lots of surveys these days about the best companies to work for and we believe it really does make a difference when it comes to recruitment. The Times Top 100 Companies to Work For is one of the best recognised. Membership of a recognised ‘top employer’ poll opens a heck of a lot of doors. If we look at our own client roster, it’s the well known organisations with a reputation for being innovative/creative/nimble/people-focused/market leading (delete as appropriate) who attract the widest range of potential candidates. Take some of Meadows’ household name clients like IPC Media, Heinz and Sportingbet, for instance. Despite their global reach and size, they appeal to candidates because they know what they are and get their message across brilliantly. They have a great culture and people warm to the promise of their appealing work environment.

Know your strengths

Never underestimate the value of promoting and demonstrating the key attributes of your organisation throughout the interview process. These are your crown jewels in a competitive recruitment environment and, as such, they need to shine through. Believe us when we say skill set is secondary to cultural fit every time. Despite Meadows having recruited for companies like IPC Media and Heinz for many years, no-one has ever turned down a job offer in either business. This is because both companies share one thing: they know exactly what they are about and they live it every day. Other companies might have similar attributes but if they don’t articulate them as well, they won’t succeed. Incidentally, it helps that both companies are people-focused. Where a particular skill set is required, and the cultural fit is stronger than the skills, training is offered to successful candidates who need a specific skills boost.

In summary, when recruiting in this tough market think about cultural fit first – and consider the skills and the money second. Ask yourself whether you have a clear brand: one that appeals to appropriate candidates. Make sure your job description and your interview process both give candidates a reason to work with you. Tell them what’s in it for them and make sure you have a differentiator that they can identify with.

When a market is as tough as this one currently is, you need to dig deep and tap into every resource you can lay your hands on. Get the groundwork right and improve your chances of beating all the others to the finishing line.

For more information on how Meadows can help you win in a tough recruitment economy, call Trevor now on 01647 221360 or browse the website for inspiration.