At Eventus Recruitment, we often get asked “How can I get better results from our recruitment strategy?”
With so many variables affecting the success of recruitment campaigns, knowing how to achieve better results from recruitment strategies can be difficult.
For employers, today’s job market is incredibly competitive. Our last survey found that 70 per cent of professionals are actively and passively job searching.
This means that many firms are hiring, both for expansion and to replace departing employees, and competing for the same professionals. As a result, we’ve seen an uptake in companies coming to us to support their recruitment, as they look to implement growth plans and replace departing employees.
So, how do you make your recruitment campaigns stand out to attract the best talent?
Here the team at Eventus Recruitment answer this question and provide their top tips for recruiting:
Write clear, compelling job descriptions to organically attract the top professionals
Nikki Phillips, legal recruitment specialist covering North West England and Wales, said: “To attract top talent during a recruitment campaign, it’s essential to start with a clear, compelling job description.
"A well-crafted job description is crucial as it sets the first impression and ensures candidates fully understand the role’s expectations, requirements, and opportunities. It should not only outline the responsibilities but also highlight growth potential, company culture, and benefits, giving candidates a reason to be excited about the opportunity.”
Build a strong talent pool for hiring
Duncan McIlroy, financial planning and mortgage recruitment specialist, said: “In a market where candidates are in short supply, building a strong talent pool is essential for attracting the best talent during recruitment campaigns.
"Having a well-developed talent pool means recruiters can maintain relationships with potential candidates, even if there are no current openings.
"This approach helps to reduce hiring time when roles do become available and ensures you have access to skilled professionals who are a good fit for the company. By keeping in touch with these candidates, businesses can react quickly to hiring needs and stand out when it comes to securing top talent, especially in competitive or specialised sectors.”
Showcase your company culture
Amy Watson, legal recruitment specialist covering the North East, North and South Yorkshire, said: “Demonstrate your company culture externally, involving your current staff members as they can be your best advocates.
"Highlight the work environment, values and employee success stories on social media and on your website. Ask them why they joined the company, what they enjoy about working there and why they stay. It’s important to demonstrate that your workplace is a positive place to work!”
Strong company branding and employee benefits
Lucy Evans, legal recruitment consultant covering South and West Yorkshire and the East Midlands, said: "To attract top talent in a candidate-driven market, employers should emphasise strong company branding, competitive benefits packages and flexibility. Employers should personalise recruitment efforts, streamline the hiring process, and highlight growth opportunities and work-life balance.”
Be realistic and flexible within your recruitment strategy
Siobhan Courtney, managing director and legal recruitment specialist covering the North Home Counties, London and Ireland, said: “Be realistic about the people you are trying to attract and make sure you know what your competitors are offering. Being flexible with your benefits and working patterns is essential to attract the very best of talent. Also, ensure your recruitment is speedy yet effective.”
Make the interview process special to impress top candidates
Jo Hood, recruitment specialist in legal finance, finance and accountancy roles, said: “Make the interview process feel a little bit special by making sure the candidate understands that this is as much about the company and role being right for them as it is them being the right candidate in the employer’s eyes.
"A fresh approach like this will make them stand out straight away.”
Be responsive throughout the recruitment process
Richard Hatchett, legal recruitment specialist covering Surrey, Kent and Sussex, said: "Be responsive and engage with all candidates. Even if it’s a no, take the time to respond to them, as they could be right for your firm in future or they may know someone who would be the right fit.
"Positive word of mouth can really help your recruitment campaigns. Also, be upfront regarding timescales for interviews, decisions and provisional job start dates. As in today’s job market most candidates will be interviewing at other firms too.”
Prioritise recruitment marketing to achieve better results from recruitment
Emma Fillingham, marketing manager, said: “To achieve better results from recruitment make sure you utilise job boards, review sites and social media by creating company profiles, responding to reviews left by employees / clients and posting regularly on LinkedIn. Also, have a careers page on your website and add testimonials from your employees with insights into your company culture.”
If you would like tailored advice on your recruitment strategy and campaigns, we are specialists in legal, finance, financial planning and mortgage recruitment. Contact us for a confidential discussion at [email protected] or on 01524 34400.