By Michael Palmer

You may have heard that by 2020, the biggest challenge Canadian companies will face is a shortage of skilled workers. According to the Conference Board of Canada, for every one person entering the workforce, two will leave. This is an alarming fact.

For this reason, top organizations are moving beyond spinning ‘Employer of Choice’ rhetoric to developing rigorous branding strategies that will attract and retain the right employees.

High performance companies understand that the key to attracting and retaining talent is to be recognized as a first-tier employer that can meet the needs of high potential/performance employees.  A Watson Wyatt study (2005) determined that companies with superior recruiting practices financially outperform those with less effective recruitment programs.

By creating a strong employment brand through effective, traditional marketing practices, employers get the edge they need to attract the best talent and keep them.

There are some key areas you can focus on when creating, living and enhancing your employer brand.

• Find a way to touch every candidate. Each and every time you advertise a job opportunity you attract a number of candidates. Some may fit this opportunity today (the ‘right-now’ candidate), some may fit another existing opportunity, some may be a great fit in the future, and some may never become a serious candidate, but may be a great potential source for referrals. Most recruiting organizations focus only on the ‘right now’ candidate, and unfortunately ignore the latter three groups. This can prove detrimental to your brand. It’s important to recognize the value in all candidates as potentials for existing and future opportunities, referral sources for top talent, and existing or future customers. 

The manner in which you communicate, or fail to communicate, is a clear demonstration to every applicant of how you operate as an organization and how your company values its employees and candidates. 

1. Avoid the ‘Black Hole’ of recruiting. Most companies do not acknowledge the receipt of a resume. Some indicate on their job ads, “only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.” Less than 1% of companies notify candidates of their status if they are not selected for an interview. Frequently referred to as the “Black Hole” of recruiting, correcting this situation is by far the simplest way to set yourself apart from your competitors. Finding a way to keep all your candidates informed – whether they are progressing along, or not – may require the use of some technology, but the impact this simple enhancement brings to your recruitment process will pay off in spades.

1. Leverage your talent pool. You will find there is already a pool of available talent at your fingertips using an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, or a creative manual system to track qualified candidates. If, for every employment advertisement that you place, you receive 50 candidates and 49 of those candidates are not hired, you’ve just created a pool of 49 potential candidates. In the world of recruiting, this is referred to as Talent Pool management.
   
   Effectively marketing to, and mining from a Talent Pool of interested and networked candidates, is more efficient and effective than re-advertising and far less expensive. 

1. Train hiring managers to be effective interviewers. Unfortunately, many hiring managers are not highly effective interviewers. This is not necessarily a lack of capability or desire. Usually, it is a result of a lack of training, coaching and ongoing support. 
   For candidates, the interview is a way to judge and assess their future employer and manager. The effect of poorly conducted interviews can have a negative impact on the company, as candidates will tell people they know about their experience, resulting in a ‘knock’ against your brand.  
   A good interview experience can help candidates accept a rejection when they are not the best fit.

    

1. Build and use consistent employer messaging – internally and externally. Your employer brand is far more than what you’re “messaging” to the outside (and inside) world; it’s what your employment experience is all about. Consistently and repeatedly messaging why your company is a great place to work is the way to begin your branding initiatives; however, it really comes down to the employee experience – how much they enjoy working for the company and how engaged they are. 

There is little doubt that recruitment over the next decade will have its challenges.  We can mitigate some of these challenges by embracing our employment brands as our ‘raison d’être’ and living “best of breed’ recruitment practices. At the most fundamental level, how we recruit, manage the hiring process and bring new employees into our organizations is what will set you apart from your competition.

Ceridian Canada delivers best-practice Human Resource solutions that maximize the value of people.  It has been recognized as both a 50 Best employer and one of the Top 100 Companies in Canada.  For more information call 1-877-CERIDIAN.