Closing techniques: How to land that in-demand candidate

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Have you ever invested time in selling your offer to an in-demand candidate, only to have them reject the offer at the last minute? This is a surprisingly common occurrence, and one you can prevent by going the extra mile to seal the deal. Use these powerful closing strategies. They’re not all cheap and easy, so choose ones that will work for your organisation.

Speed up the process 

In most competitions, speed wins. Some hiring managers don’t make offers quickly in fear it makes their organisation look “desperate”. (Yes, we’ve seen this happen on multiple occasions, to hiring managers’ detriment.) Using a “bird in the hand offer” that is made the same day of their final interview (before your candidate leaves) is even more impressive. It shows that your manager is decisive and that the candidate is wanted.

Make on-the-spot offers if you can. One of the fastest ways to seal the deal is by making an offer on the spot and encouraging them to accept while they’re in your office. It’s not uncommon for people to change their minds, receive other offers or receive counter-offers from their current workplace. You can even offer a guaranteed sign-on bonus can provide an extra incentive for them to say yes. Making an offer in person is, psychologically, a more powerful strategy than making one over the phone. It’s also easier to address their concerns.

Tip: Choose a time and space that makes them feel comfortable.

Create a dream job offer: understanding and meeting criteria

Do you know all your desired candidate’s acceptance criteria? If you can meet them, it’s hard for them to say no. If you’re not certain, be upfront and ask them to list their criteria, and use their list to guide your offer. When you present it to them, ensure they understand how you’ve met each of their requirements. You could alternatively ask them to list the characteristics of their ideal or dream job on a blank sheet, then meet their dream-job criteria.

Alternatively, offer an “exploding bonus”, encouraging them to decide quickly. This is where a significant sign-on bonus is offered, but it is contingent on the offer being accepted right away (on the spot or by that evening). After that initial time period, the bonus continually and dramatically decreases until it eventually reaches zero.

Use the power of influence

Job offers can be major decisions, which are rarely made alone. If possible and appropriate, consider reaching out to individuals who will influence the final decision. For example, pre-identified job references, colleagues, mentors, and family members. Provide them with information so that they will proactively go out of their way to encourage the candidate to say yes.

You can also offer “two-for-ones”, winning them over by providing them with an opportunity to work alongside a peer, for example, a colleague, mentor, best friend, or qualified family member. A package deal can be a great closer, and you can also set them up to work together initially on a joint project.

In using the power of influence, do you know if they have any contacts currently in your organisation? Encourage key people to informally let your chosen candidate know how much they are needed and that they will be welcomed with open arms. Make sure that you educate them so they know what the candidate cares most about. If your finalist is a referral, also have the referring employee call them and to also try to close the sale.

Make it personal  

A passionate, personal call from your CEO, or another member of your leadership team, asking them to say yes and making a compelling case is a powerful closing strategy. Your leaders can express their enthusiasm for what they hope to achieve with them: “Together we can build this company to the next level.”

Alternatively, a handwritten note from your CEO attached to their offer letter is also a nice touch.

Automatic salary reviews 

Often the major hurdle in accepting a job is their concern about the offered salary being too low. So, if you can’t give them more money initially, agree to reopen the salary discussion three to six months down the road (when both sides know how the new hire has performed). This can alleviate some of their fear that they will be locked into a lower salary for a long period of time.

Wow them with a surprise 

After a number of interviews, most candidates understand their offer. Adding an unexpected surprise that hadn’t previously been discussed can seal the deal. For example, working at home on Fridays, or choosing their own title. This also demonstrates you are willing to go above and beyond, and is great news for them to share with their family and friends.

Be prepared to provide them with some symbols or indicators of status that might seal the deal. This might include a title, an office, an assistant, or a company car.

Offer opt-out options

Offer a no-fault divorce option to minimise fear of failure — some candidates are nervous that the job won’t be a fit. Offer them a non-confrontational way to walk away after six months. Assure them that they’ll get a positive reference and a lump sum payoff if either side feels that it didn’t work out. They can walk away while relatively unharmed.

Flexible work
More and more candidates expect flexible working arrangements. The opportunity to work from home or have flexible working arrangements can make or break a deal (especially if getting to your office requires a lengthy commute!).

Create exciting letters of offer 

Is your letter of offer the best it can be? Letters that are overly legalistic (with a lot of fine print) are turnoffs. Also, letters that leave out key “promises” that were verbally discussed during interviews can invariably frustrate your candidate. Make your letter of offer and processes a candidate friendly experience.

Understand deal breakers

Some candidates might have unidentified deal breakers which could be making them hold back from accepting your offer. So throughout the process, ensure you identify and resolve any potential deal breakers.

Match offers

Top candidates are likely to get multiple offers. Plan how high you are willing to go in order to match or counter their other offers. Refusing to make counteroffers will cause you to lose many top candidates.

Use peer interviews and peer promotion 

Allow your top candidate to “interview” their potential peers in your organisation. This can not only help them alleviate fears, but build connections and get excited about the opportunity to work at your organisation.

You can also sell your desired candidate on the quality of their potential peers by making them fully aware of their capabilities. For example, use LinkedIn profiles to showcase your team members so the candidate can see they are joining a winning team they can learn from

Comparison

If you put together a great deal above market offer, consider creating a “side-by-side comparison” or sell charge to demonstrate how your offer is superior to your competitors’.

Make it easy for hiring managers to show each of the areas where your offer is superior.

Delayed starts

Occasionally candidates can be reluctant to accept an offer because they don’t feel they will have sufficient time to settle their affairs before making a job move. In those cases, it may be beneficial to offer to delay their start date in order to give them more time. Note, however, that this also increases the risk that they may not accept your offer.

Discuss pathways and progression 

Educate them on where they are likely to be in two years — everyone seeking a new position wants to know where he or she will be in a few years. Show them by giving them concrete examples of how previous hires have actually progressed. Don’t promise, but let them know what is possible.

Review and refine

Conduct thorough assessments of any deal closing strategies, both successes and failures.

Contact candidates who reject your offers after a three-month delay to find out what elements in your offer they didn’t like and what factors cause them to say no. Also, whenever a counteroffer was required to close a deal, revisit your offer process in order to ensure that your firm is not routinely “under offering” with your initial offers.

With low unemployment rates, it’s challenging to net top talent. If you need someone in fields like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, technology, or data science, you need extraordinary closing strategies to seal the deal.

If you have the courage and the resources, don’t hesitate to try one or more of the above deal closers. They really work.

Do you need support creating a compelling offer? Schedule a discussion with our Shortlisting & Selection Specialists, call us on 1300 366 573 or email info@employmentoffice.com.au.

Recruiting for retail sales skills

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Hiring for retail sales skills may be one of the many challenges you face as a retail employer. Talented salespeople take your business to the next level, but finding the best salespeople for the role can feel like a never-ending pursuit. The right tools and processes, however, will make finding those ideal candidates quicker and easier. Here are the best strategies to hire for retail sales skills.

Make your recruitment advertisement stand out

Many recruitment advertisements in retail look the same, except for the brand name. You recognise these. They usually look something like this:

“[Retail business name] is seeking motivated salespeople to work for us in a fast-paced, challenging work environment. The ideal candidate will have strong interpersonal skills and work as part of a team. You will be expected to: 

Generic task description 1

Generic task description 2…”

Going to market is expensive and you don’t want to waste time wading through irrelevant applications.

Make yours stand out!

Don’t copy and paste your job description. Instead, use it to bring your advertisement to life and inject the personality of your brand. Refer to the primary duties in the role, and tweak and refine the copy to attract the best retail salespeople. Talk about the benefits you offer, what’s in it for them. Use attractive brand imagery and embed videos if you can.

Use behavioural testing for retail sales skills

There’s no hiding the fact that salespeople need sales personalities. This might seem obvious, but you may be surprised by the number of employers who don’t use tools to quantify and assess these vital attributes to ensure they make the right choice.

While, of course, some skills can be taught, others are innate. Likability and enthusiasm, while attractive in a candidate, doesn’t necessarily translate to strong sales skills.

Behavioural testing is a great way to identify candidates with retail sales skills. Some tools, such as the McQuaig Word Survey behavioural tool our Shortlisting Specialists use at Employment Offices, even provide you with a complete sales profile of your top candidates.

Use the right screening and interview questions

Use screening questions in your recruitment advertisement and probe deeper during secondary interviews. This gives candidates the chance to demonstrate their skills, experience and personality.

You may ask a direct question about their previous sales experience, or a behavioural question with the attributes your business needs in its salespeople, such as grit, persistence, great listening skills or customer focus.

For example, “Describe a time in a previous role where you demonstrated [XYZ].”

While it may seem like a never-ending priority to find great retail sales skills and the right salespeople for your roles, the right tools and processes will ensure you make the best hires.

Do you need a recruitment campaign to attract the best candidates to your vacancy? Schedule a discussion with our Recruitment Advertising Specialists here, call us on 1300 366 573 or email info@employmentoffice.com.au.

7 ways to hire and retain safety-conscious employees

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Creating a safe workplace is something that everyone should strive towards. For employers in construction and manufacturing, building a strong workplace culture of safety is critical to the long-term sustainability of your business. Creating safe workplaces lowers worker’s compensation claims, reduces risks and potential accidents and is part of employers’ legal obligations.

Not to mention, potential candidates are more likely to choose employers who emphasise and promote safe workplaces. But how do you find the best team members with the right mindset and attitudes toward safety?

Here are seven ways to hire safety-conscious employees and create a safe workplace.

1. Make a culture of safety and creating a safe workplace part of your employer brand

If safety is one of your core values, it should naturally be expressed as part of your employer brand and Employee Value Proposition. Establishing strong brand messaging enables you to attract like-minded team members with shared values, allowing you to build a strong workplace culture of safety.

Regularly reinforce and amplify this value through your various channels, for example, through employee profile stories and social posts.

2. Include brand messaging around safety in your recruitment advertisements

A strong employer brand will be reflected in your recruitment advertisements. Make a safe workplace a key focus in your ad copy and showcase it as part of your Employee Value Proposition.

3. Include a screening question around safety

Attraction is the first part of the process; when it comes to screening, the fastest way for you to identify the top applicants in your pool who share a safety-focus is by including screening questions. Including a question around candidates’ safety focus allows them to demonstrate how they prioritise safety in their work.

4. Ask questions around safety priorities during second-stage interviews

After assessing candidates’ screening-question answers, second-stage interviews are an excellent opportunity to delve deeper into their experience and understand their values and priorities.

Here are some examples of questions you can use during second-stage interviews to explore candidate’s safety-focus more deeply.

Example 1: “Safety is of the utmost importance in this role and our organisation. How do you always ensure safety within your work?”

Example 2: “How do you promote health and safety practices among co-workers?

5. Offer consistent training

Structured training is vital to prevent accidents and serious injuries, so it’s likely your organisation has OHS training as part of your new hires’ induction. Leading with this safety focus is a great way to create a safe workplace, establish expectations for your new team members and make them feel comfortable and motivated about their new role.

While onboarding training is a great place to start, consistent training is an effective long-term strategy to reinforce your organisational and brand values.

If you experience challenges with participation and engagement, adjust your delivery. Some people may need to learn how to operate a piece of machinery, others will learn how to fix it. But everyone need to understand how to deal with an electrical fire. Your team members will be more willing to engage with and accept training when they understand its direct impact on their lives and how it serves their benefit.

6. Use incentives and rewards

Gain better results and establish a workplace culture of safety by offering rewards and incentives for using safety procedures properly. One way is to report and share information about decreased injuries and accidents. (But use this strategically so it doesn’t make employees reluctant to report workplace incidents.)

7. Provide the right support and equipment

While training is useful and effective, it must be reinforced with support and good equipment. While Australia has many mandatory rules and regulations, go above and beyond safety laws to provide support and good equipment in ways that are unique to your business. Regularly talk about first aid kits, helmets, fire safety, vehicle and machine-specific protocols, and other elements relevant to your business.

Demonstrating your commitment to create a safe workplace communicates to your current and future talent that you care about their health, safety and wellbeing. Including a safety-focus as part of your employer brand, screening and training processes, will empower you to build a strong culture of workplace safety.

Do you need a recruitment campaign to attract the best candidates to your vacancy? Schedule a discussion with our Recruitment Advertising Specialists.

Are you recruiting purple squirrels? (How to rethink your selection criteria)

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This guide will help you overcome the hurdles preventing you from finding the ideal person to fill your vacancy, instead of endlessly searching for “purple squirrels”, the perfect candidate who may or may not exist. Who knows, by using these strategies, you might discover your new hire was the one you were looking for all along!

What is a purple squirrel?

In recruitment and HR, a purple squirrel is the perfect candidate for your role. They have all your ideal qualifications and experience, and are the ultimate choice for your vacancy! However, the difficulty in finding these candidates has given a second meaning to the term. Purple squirrel has come to mean the unobtainable. Just as they are impossible to find in nature, in real life, they are also almost a fantasy.

Let’s face it, the perfect candidate (or a purple squirrel) that perfectly fits every want and need your organisation has for a role is incredibly rare. Seldom do we come across a purple squirrel in the recruitment world who is actively searching for a new position. So, stop trying to catch the idyllic mythical creatures and start searching for the ideal candidate.

High-quality candidates don’t have trouble proving their worth and as such, tend to be snapped up by employers very quickly. So keep them engaging from recruitment marketing and advertising, during the application process and throughout the recruitment process. If they’re excited by your opportunity and engaged with the process, it’s less likely they’ll take up a role with a competitor.

High-quality candidates also tend to be pretty switched on, and won’t waste their time applying for roles if they deem the application process unnecessarily long or complex. Instead, they’ll move on to the next role they see and you’ll lose them. So it’s important you design your process with your ideal candidate in mind.

You can also use the right technology to speed up your shortlisting process. For example, use your Candidate Management System to set up automatic filters to exclude ineligible candidates immediately. For example, if your role requires someone to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, add a filter that automatically marks an application as ineligible.

This guide will help you overcome the hurdles preventing you from finding the ideal person to fill your vacancy, so you don’t waste time hunting purple squirrels who may not exist. Perhaps you’ll discover that they were just the squirrel you have been looking for!

Review your selection criteria

Finding your ideal candidate begins by understanding the requirements of your role. Conduct a critical assessment of which skills and experience are vital for your role, and which you can compromise on.

After establishing your selection criteria, use your requirements in a compelling way. At Employment Office, our clients typically ask for advice about how to display their selection criteria and use it in their screening process. We always recommend online screening questions as the first-round application process.

Use screening questions effectively

There are a number of common mistakes we see when it comes to online screening questions. We recommend using online screening questions as your first round of screening to save you time reading long cover letters and resumes. However, there is a bit of an art and science to it.

One of our clients wanted to ask one screening question to address every piece of selection criteria. As you can imagine, this would have been a long and tedious application process for candidates! This impacted the number of applications they obtained. In fact, our Specialists were able to report on strong click-through rates, but high drop-out rates

Ideally, choose between three to eight screening questions, and find efficiencies where you can. For example, if your goal is to assess communication skills, instead of asking a question about communication, you could instead use the screening questions as a whole to assess this skill. You’ll very easily be able to judge a candidates’ spelling, grammar and tone from reading their answers to other long answer questions.

Reduce the number of long-answer questions required for applications to increase the likelihood of great candidates applying for your role.

Interestingly, we recently conducted a survey with a large sample group of our candidates – that is, people who have applied for positions through our online application process – and the results were really interesting. It might surprise you to know that 76% of candidates enjoy answering screening questions.

“76% of candidates enjoy answering screening questions.”

So, don’t eliminate screening from your application process, but ensure you’re asking the right number of questions and the right kinds of questions.

Tailor screening questions for each role

It’s really important that you don’t use blanket questions for all your career opportunities.

Of course, there are common screening questions that may be necessary, such as working rights, and these questions tend to be easy check box answers that don’t impact the time it takes for candidates to apply. However, when it comes to long-answer questions, try to be specific in what you’re asking.

Tailor your questions to the position you are trying to fill and ask questions that will give you a clear indication right away if someone is suitable or not.

Don’t use too many screening questions

Asking too many questions is one of the most common mistakes employers make.

Numerous studies have discovered that as you increase the number of questions in your application process, the number of completed applications decreases.

Stick to approximately five questions where possible, and include a mix of check box, short text, and long text questions. Once you add more than six questions, you reduce your candidate by almost by half. If you go beyond 10 questions your dropout rate will increase exponentially.

Use written-answer screening question when necessary

Although you want to keep the application process brief, it’s important to ask a couple of long-answer or written-answer questions. This gives candidates the opportunity to share how their experience, knowledge or skillset applies to the role and why you should consider them over other candidates.

It also gives you the opportunity to learn information about your candidates that you may not have learned from their CV.

It’s a fantastic chance to assess their communication skills which, depending on the position, could be imperative. Personally, if we’re hiring for a team member who will be delivering copywriting services for our clients, written-answer questions are the most valuable source of assessing grammar, writing ability and attention to detail.

Depending on the position you are recruiting for and who your ideal candidate is, written-answer questions also act as a good indication of whether the candidates are invested in your opportunity and putting in effort, as opposed to copying and pasting short or irrelevant answers.

Don’t make screening questions too complicated

Although long answer questions are important and useful when utilised correctly, it’s important to make sure they are clearly worded. You want candidates to be able to understand exactly what you want to know about them so they are able to provide you with the most relevant and straight forward answer as possible.

Don’t use irrelevant questions

Stick to the questions you absolutely need to give you a first indication of whether someone should be considered further or whether they should be eliminated right away from your recruitment efforts.

Use screening question best practices

Many clients ask us about the best way to set up screening questions. We recommend not requiring cover letters, assessing for cultural fit and using behavioural testing.

Cover letters are quickly becoming extinct within the progressive recruitment space. They tend to be blanket statements that don’t do the best job of telling you what you need to hear to make a decision.

Include one screening question to understand candidates’ personal and behaviour characteristics. For example, ask them about what they’re are looking for in their next workplace, or what they like to do in their spare time, outside of work. Your goal is to attract candidates who will be the right organisational fit, (not purple squirrels!) and this helps you do just that.

Pair screening questions with behavioural testing. The best way to assess personal characteristics is by pairing screening questions with behavioural testing. Testing is a great way to gain deeper insights about developmental considerations and interview questions if you decide to progress candidates to face-to-face interviews.

“Remember, the right screening questions attract top talent.”

In addition to increasing your volume of applications, using these screening techniques will help you attract the right candidates to your position.

Overcome unconscious bias

Whether you know it or not, it’s almost certain you have either been the victim or perpetrator of unconscious bias.

By definition, unconscious biases are social stereotypes that one forms unknowingly about certain groups of people. Everyone holds unconscious beliefs about various social and identity groups which stem from a tendency to organise social worlds by categorisation.

Essentially, we all have and experience unconscious bias, it’s natural, but when it comes to finding your ideal candidate, it’s important to challenge yourself and your recruitment process to be as free as possible from unconscious bias.

If you let these biases creep into your process, it’s more likely you’ll have wider organisational issues such as lack of diversity within your workforce, and hiring the wrong people which we all know costs a lot of time and money! It can also lead to you recruiting for a purple squirrel, instead of your ideal candidate.

We’ve certainly experienced some uncomfortable situations where hiring managers are set on hiring a candidate of a certain gender, age or background. This is the wrong way to approach finding your actual best fit. Step back and re-think who the ideal person is for the role.

In resisting recruiting purple squirrels, think about your ideal candidate and avoid the “perfect”, or you’ll always be disappointed. Determine the essential requirements of the person for your role and determine what you can compromise.

Use this guide to work with your hiring managers and avoid looking for those elusive purple squirrels in favour of your ideal candidates.

Use screening questions specific to each opportunity you advertise, and use them to reduce your time shortlisting and identify strong candidates from the start, beyond qualification or experience matches.  Don’t let unconscious bias affect your perception of a person’s ability – or inability – to do the job. Shift your thinking from the type of candidate you tend to hire to what a different type of candidate could bring to the position or team. Avoid using pronouns when talking about your ideal candidate, and consider hiding information (i.e. hide names, gender, age) until you’ve completed the initial filtering process.

By designing a great screening process, you’ll reduce the frustration of trying to find those elusive purple squirrels, and instead attract more applications to find your ideal candidate more easily.

Interested in optimising your hiring process to avoid purple squirrels? Schedule a discussion with our Recruitment Advertising Specialists.

Essential recruitment metrics to track now  

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Busy recruiters experience a slew of time pressures, which is why recruitment metrics often fall by the wayside. But recruitment metrics are a critical way to determine return on investment and assess the success of your initiatives. Here are recommendations to get you started, how to measure each metric, and which metrics you should focus on.  

As a critical organisational function, recruitment requires set metrics and KPIs to track return on investment and the effectiveness of your initiatives.

Here are the important metrics to get savvy recruiters focus on. But as we explain, while there are many different metrics you can track, choose the metrics in line with your recruitment and organisational goals.

Average daily revenue per employee

Start by calculating the average daily revenue per employee. This metric reveals the average revenue each of your team members contributes to the bottom line. We can use the final figure to plug into other calculations to determine averages.

Calculate your annual revenue, divided by your total number of employees, divided by 365 days in a year. This gives you the average daily income per employee. You can then use this metric in calculations such as time to hire and cost per hire.

Annual revenue / total number of employees / 365 = average daily income per employee.

Time to hire

Lengthy hiring processes can be frustrating for both candidates and hiring managers. If this is a challenge in your organisation, measuring time to hire at regular intervals will enable you to make more informed decisions and measure the effectiveness of your initiatives.

Calculate time to hire from the day you launch your recruitment advertisements, to the day you receive an acceptance.

Average daily income per employee x time to hire (days) = $ dollar value

Improving this metric means you are bringing key skills into your organisation sooner to produce results. Not to mention, increased satisfaction from hiring managers and candidates alike.

Annual employee turnover

Annual employee turnover is a useful metric to measure retention. However, this metric can be challenging! As not all turnover is necessarily bad for your organisation. (You may like to measure total employee turnover vs. regretted losses.)

Total number of employees left position / total number of employees = percentage %

Total number of regretted loss / total number of employees = percentage %

If you are challenged by retention, track annual employee turnover at different intervals.

Average number of applications per role  

Do you know how many applications you are receiving per role? The right Candidate Management System makes this process easy, as you can obtain the number of roles you have advertised during the year, and calculate the number of applications you received for those roles.

Number of applications received / number of roles advertised = average number of applications per role

Organisations with strong employer branding tend to see a higher volume of quality applications.

Quality of applications 

This metric is also known as “qualified applications”. If you want to attract high-quality candidates, you must assess performance by measuring quality of applications. Calculate this metric by assessing the number of candidates shortlisted for each position

Total (shortlisted) candidates per vacancy who move past initial screening screen stage = quality of applications

Total number of shortlisted candidates per year / number of roles advertised = quality of applications

Cost per hire

How much is recruitment costing your organisation, from preparing your recruitment advertisement, to receiving an acceptance?

In the following recruitment metric, internal costs represent time investments from internal recruiters and hiring managers (using the average hourly income calculation we shared previously).  External costs represent your recruitment advertising costs and any recruitment outsourcing costs.

Internal costs + external costs / total number of hires = $ cost per hire

You can also use the ISO standard for cost per hire. ISO is the International Organization for Standardization [sic], an international standard-setting body to calculate cost per hire, which offers another level of complexity.

Employee engagement and satisfaction

How many members of your organisation are psychologically committed to their jobs and likely to be making a positive contribution or showing up with the enthusiasm and motivation to be highly productive?

A staggering 76% of the Australian workforce self-nominates as disengaged or actively disengaged, lacking almost anything resembling commitment (Gallup, State of the Global Workforce, 2017).

There are a number of different tools and providers you can use to measure employee engagement and satisfaction. Determine which measurement tool is right for your organisation’s goals, budget and needs, and conduct 6-month or 12-month benchmarking to measure the impact of your initiatives.

Conduct an annual employee engagement survey.

Employee Net Promoter Score

You may be familiar with a Net Promoter Score (NPS). NPS is a quantitative measure that provides an index ranging from -100 to 100 that reflects the likelihood of people to recommend an organisation’s products or services to others. NPS helps organisations gain an understanding of overall satisfaction, advocacy and loyalty.

In your Employee Engagement Survey, include a question around eNPS, that is, Employee Net Promoter Score. This asks people about their likelihood to recommend your organisation as a place to work to others.

Respondents are asked, “On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is extremely unlikely and 10 is extremely likely, how likely are you to recommended [company/product/service] to other people?”

From their answer, they are classified into three categories: detractors, passives and promoters.

This is a useful metrics to take a “temperature check” of the overall satisfaction and engagement of your workforce.

Quality of hire 

According to LinkedIn’s Global Recruiting Trends 39% of talent leaders agree that quality of hire is the single most valuable metric to track performance. 60% of talent leaders report identifying quality hires as their top challenge of 2019, yet only 2% have a framework to measure quality. Often, the discussion of quality of hire is confused with selection practices and not an employee’s performance once onboard.

Start by determining the characteristics of a great employee first, using post-hire data. Then, look at how to predict those characteristics among candidates. There are a number of ways to measure quality of hire. Here is on that we recommend.

A quality hire is, essentially, a great team member. But what makes a great team member? Measure:

  • Inspiration – can they inspire others and their team?
  • Experience – are they fulfilled in their role and do they want to stay? (Retention)
  • Fit – do they fit or add to your organisation’s culture?
  • Results – are they producing results expected of the role?*
  • Integrity – are they trustworthy act on their words

*When assessing their ability to produce results, take “ramp-up time” into account, allowing your new hires to learn, develop and get up to speed (potentially, over the course of their probationary period).

Use insights from your new hire, hiring managers and team members.

Measure: inspiration (20), experience (20), fit (20), results (20) and integrity (20) = % of 100

The best ways to asses quality of hire include:

  • work sample tests
  • structured interviews
  • general mental ability tests
  • peer ratings.

Indicator metrics 

As mentioned, there are many metrics you could choose to measure. Some organisations track:

  • applicant source
  • first-year hire retention rate
  • offer acceptance rates
  • recruitment advertisement views
  • recruitment advertisement conversion rates (views to applications)
  • social media engagement
  • and/or other metrics.

These metrics can act as a “trigger” or alarm and provide deeper insights into your strengths and areas for improvement. From these metrics, you may need to investigate other metrics further, secure external expertise, and/or adjust your strategy.

For example, low advertisement view rates can result in a low volume of applications; which would indicate you need to adjust your recruitment advertising strategy. Or, low social media engagement overall could indicate your employer branding and recruitment marketing strategy could need some work.

It is essential to track recruitment metrics to identify areas you are performing well and areas for improvement. You do not need to measure all these metrics, only the ones that suit your recruitment and organisational goals.

Decide what the most important recruitment metrics are based on your organisational goals. (For example, do your goals focus on revenue, applicant conversions, retention or brand awareness?)

Great recruitment marketing equates to a strong return on investment through high-quality applicants, better hires, reduced time to hire and cost per hire, increased acceptance rates and improved retention. So choose the right metrics in line with your recruitment goals, and start measuring them today!

For assistance with reporting or measuring recruitment metrics, speak to our knowledgable Employer Branding Specialists, email us at info@employmentoffice.com.au, or call us on 1300 366 573.

Ideas for increasing productivity in healthcare and NFP

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There are a number of ways healthcare and not-for-profit organisations can increase productivity and improve workplace engagement and happiness. But one of the biggest secrets to do this is actually: time outside of the office! Here are five steps to encourage relationship-building outside the workplace and the results you can expect to achieve.  

Organisations that empower their people to deliver their best work continue to attract high-quality talent and boost productivity. Many healthcare and not-for-profit organisations design their workplaces to maximise productivity by offering things such as healthy snacks, the right tools and resources, and attractive employee spaces. While these perks are great and certainly contribute to a strong, productive working culture, but one of the biggest secrets in energising and boosting employee productivity is actually…time outside the workplace.

This might seem counterintuitive, as time spent out of the workplace is time not producing results; but research reveals that giving employees frequent out-of-office breaks doesn’t have to compete. In fact, providing consistent opportunities for people to walk away from their workspace and decompress, for example, in the form of an off-site lunch hour, yields higher rates of engagement and performance.

Furthermore, with employees spending more than 90 000 hours in their workplaces across their lifetime, team members who form strong friendships with their colleagues are more enthusiastic and productive in their jobs.

So, how can you promote interaction outside the workplace to boost productivity?

Designate a budget

Out-of-office activities takes thought, planning and a budget. So, “budget for bonding”, by including offsite activities as part of your financial planning. You will be sure to see return on investment as you grow your culture, foster meaningful workplace connections, and provide a change in scenery for stress relief.

Offer short off-site experiences

Consider designing short and frequent opportunities to interact. For example, pair your new hires with two or three people from different departments and provide them an off-site lunch during their first week. This helps both new and tenured employees get to know each other in a way they may not typically have the chance to.

You may also like to design a “co-worker coffee program”, allowing your people to take short breaks together outside the office (or even via video chats if you have multiple locations).

Offer team building

The end of the year is a great time to offer team building activities after your people have put in hard work all year long. From mini-golf, painting and bowling, to lawn bowls, barbeques or Christmas lunches, the opportunities are endless.

But don’t just stop with one end-of-year activity. Create frequent activities throughout the year. Quarterly events are a great way to build this strategy into your culture and create consistency.

Invite family and friends

Inviting your employees’ significant others, friends, family and children to events gives people the chance to integrate their personal and professional life, allowing them to feel more support and engaged in their work.

True leaders not only understand the value each employee can have on productivity, but also the sacrifices they make in being away from the significant people in their life. Celebrating family and friends gives your team members the chance to demonstrate their achievements with the important people in their life.

Use trial and error

Like all initiatives, encouraging your employees to interact outside the workplace may rely on some trial and error. Your organisation will have its own unique needs, so continue to learn as you go and tailor accordingly.

Creating opportunities for people to step away from work and recharge is a key component of supporting people to give their best and improving retention. So use creativity to design great experiences. Whether you offer co-worker coffees or quarterly team building events, you will see return on investment over the long-term. Offer offsite experiences, and watch engagement, productivity and happiness in your workplace soar.

Managing seasonal recruitment in retail

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Is your organisation coping with seasonal recruitment demands? Seasonal recruitment is common in retail. You may need more team members before Christmas, or during summer. For fluctuating recruitment demands, here are the best strategies to manage seasonal recruitment. 

Being able to meet customer needs when your business kicks into “seasonal overdrive” is critical. To ensure this year’s seasonal shift is as cost-effective, stress-free and productive as possible, use these strategies to manage seasonal recruitment.

Put a number on it 

Start by identifying the number of team members you will need in which locations and departments.

Use key learnings from past seasons

Understand which areas of your business will need extra support based on data from previous years and factor in growth throughout the year to create a plan. Consider issues you’ve faced previously and set a plan to plug these holes preemptively.

Create an attraction and hiring strategy

Implement sound attraction and hiring methods. Because seasonal employees may not remain in your business over the long term, advertising, hiring and onboarding costs through traditional methods can sometimes outweigh returns. But there are a number of strategies to cut down on the time and resources it takes to attract, screen and hire candidates.

Some smart attraction and hiring methods you could use include:

  • An employee referral system – offer rewards and incentives to current team members for every successful referral they make to you (after all, great talent knows great talent!)
  • Advertising in-store – a low-cost way to win applications from customers who already know, like and trust your brand
  • An effective Candidate Management System – allowing you and your hiring managers to work collaboratively to screen candidates with ease in a single location
  • Talent pooling – reach out to candidates who have previously expressed an interest in working with your organisation
  • Delegating tasks to your front-line managers
  • Use Group Assessment Days to assess and hire candidates in bulk.

Use the right technology 

You may need to screen hundreds of applications, so being able to digitally screen, compare and invite candidates to be interviewed will save you time and effort when recruiting high volumes. Using a Candidate Management System will go a long way in saving you time and making your processes more efficient.

Use screening tools 

Lastly, ensure you’re hiring the right person for the role. Hiring the wrong person whose values do not accurately match your company can cause massive issues and negative brand consequences. This, combined with the stress of the seasonal period, means you can’t afford to suffer from mis-hires or allow customer service to deteriorate.

Consider using behavioural and skills testing, and reference checks to feel confident in your hiring decision.

Effectively screen candidates to ensure their values and experience matches what you are looking for. Ask quality questions to gain insight into candidates’ character and how they will perform in your team.

For more information about talent attraction, recruitment technology, or screening solutions, contact us at info@employmentoffice.com.au or on 1300 366 573.

Making a hire in 2020? Top tips for holiday recruitment

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The latest job board data reveals a surge in candidate activity over the holiday break, making it the perfect time to advertise, even if you don’t need to fill a position until later in the New Year. Here’s why you need to get ahead of the curve, and ways to tailor your strategy according to your resources and timelines.

Generally, when we think about holiday recruitment we think about the manic casual hiring period that typically occurs between October and January. But what if your organisation happens to be looking for full-time, permanent employees during this time? Many people stop recruiting over the end-of-year break for a variety of reasons, but, in fact, it can be a golden opportunity to attract top talent.

The latest data reveals there are fewer recruitment advertisements being posts, and active candidate searches double!

According to Indeed, candidate activity almost doubles between 23 December and 7 January.

That’s an average increase of more than 2.8 million daily searches. 

But why the surge in candidate activity?

There’s a number of reasons that the holiday period sees a rise in the number of job searches, across all industries. Two of the more common explanations are that candidates simply have more time to look for new opportunities, with time off for the holidays providing the perfect opportunity to research a potential change.

Candidates are also often inspired by the New Year period to make a change in their lives, and are more open to considering opportunities as part of “new year, new career” resolutions.

So what does all of this mean for you?

The benefits of recruiting over the holiday break include:

  • Preparation and organisation – organising your recruitment advertisement/s in December means you won’t be scrambling to create a campaign during the surge in January.
  • Less competition – Fewer advertisements means you’ll have less competition from other organisations vying for the same candidates. Starting your recruitment process before the mid to late January rush means that you will be able to capture candidate’s interest from the moment they start looking.
  • Better ROI – You’ll also have better return on investment for each advertisement, with your ads staying higher in search results for longer, giving you better visibility to potential applicants;
  • More convenience – imagine returning from your holiday break and having a talent pool ready for you and your hiring manager to commence interviewing, while the rest of your competitors are only just starting to launch their recruitment advertisements in saturated market. Even if you don’t require a candidate to commence until January, or even February, capturing their interest early could mean that you are conducting interviews by the time other organisations are even posting their first ads.

We know one reason organisations choose not to advertise over Christmas is often due to a lack of resources. So, if you don’t have time to write and run an advertisement or conduct interviews, but you want to capitalise on the increased candidate activity between 23 December and 7 January, there are strategies you can put in place.

Adjust your recruitment advertising copy

Create copy that resonates with your target candidate market. The old adage, “New Year, New Career” still rings true today!

Maybe you want to remind a nurse your opportunity is a chance to move away from the hospital environment; or you want to appeal to individuals or couples looking to make a coastal move from the city; or maybe an engineer who is wanting to work on some exciting new projects that kick off in the new year. Candidates seeking new opportunities during this time are often driven to do so because they’re wanting something more, so incorporate language that speaks to this desire.

Be clear about next steps

It’s not uncommon for offices to close mid-December, or for panel members to be involved in the interview process to take leave. So communicate to the candidate in your recruitment advertisement when candidates will hear from you if being considered.

For example, you might like to include a line such as, “We will be reviewing applications in the second week of January, with the aim to commence interviews in the last week of January.”

If you have an eRecruitment system that responds to candidate applications, it’s a great idea to tailor your automated response emails to include this for this time period.

Confirm candidates’ availability

If you know what dates you and your team will be conducting interviews in the New Year, you can ask candidates about their availability as part of the application process. This makes it easier for you to book candidates in when you return, and encourages those candidates to be available on those dates.

Interview early (if possible!)

If you’re in a position to interview candidates prior to the holiday break, highlight those dates in your advertising or mention that there are immediate start dates available.

This is also an opportunity to invite high-quality candidates to events, such as Meet and Greets, or Christmas parties.

Get support

If you need additional support, considering engaging a recruitment partner like Employment Office to create your campaign, advertise and interview suitable candidates on your behalf.

You can then return in the New Year to a shortlist of candidates who have been pre-screened, engaged, and kept warm for your opportunity.

So, if you need to make hires in the New Year, don’t delay. Start in December to get ahead of the surge and tailor your strategy accordingly with the right messaging and support.

To discuss a recruitment solution tailored to your needs, contact Employment Office on 1300 366 573 or info@employmentoffice.com.au.

Connecting candidates to your values

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As part of your recruitment strategy, connecting candidates with your values and purpose is a great way to attract and retain the best talent for your organisation. More and more organisations are promoting their purpose and core values to attract, connect with and retain the right people.

Millennials are more receptive to cause marketing than previous generations and are more likely to buy items associated with a cause. They also expect companies to support the social issues and causes they care about and will reward them if they do.

Over 54% of talent leaders cite ‘inspiring purpose’ as the most common Employee Value Proposition (EVP) theme (Universum, Employer Branding Now Report 2019).

This report also states Millennials are increasingly seeking jobs that are ‘meaningful’ and ‘make a difference to the world’. 48% of the World’s Most Attraction Employers (WMAE) state one of their primary objectives is ‘enhancing employee advocacy’.

Here are some things to keep in mind when promoting your values when recruiting.

Use consistent brand messaging

Your purpose may already be tied into your employer brand. A brand’s purpose is a bold affirmation of its reason for being. It conveys what the organisation stands for in historical, ethical, emotional and practical terms. No matter how it’s communicated to employees and customers, a company brand’s purpose is the driving force that enables a company to define its true brand and create its desired culture (Gallup).

As part your recruitment advertising campaigns, ensure you include brand messaging around your organisation’s purpose and values: who you are, what your stand for, and the benefits of being part of your organisation. This helps you distinguish yourself as an employer of choice by articulating your points of difference. This, in turn, improves application, acceptance and conversion rates, maximising your recruitment return on investment.

There are a number of ways to further bring your purpose and values to life for candidates and incorporate it into your overall recruitment marketing and employer branding strategy.

Tell authentic people stories

Authentic employee experiences are a great way to bring your employer brand, organisational purpose and values to life. Give your employees a platform to share their stories through written articles and videos, and promote these on your website, careers site, blog, recruitment advertisements and social media channels.

Share stories about events and community activities

Another way to communicate your purpose and values is by tying it to the events you host or are involved in, and community activities. How are your people making a difference outside of their workplace? Share photos of your people on social media, and leverage articles and video to highlight the events you are involved in.

Promoting and connecting potential candidates to your purpose and values is a great way to ensure you bring the right people on board, for the right reasons.

Find out more about Employer Branding here, or call us on 1300 366 573 or email info@employmentoffice.com.au.

Leveraging the power of employee referrals in construction and manufacturing

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Regardless of the industry you are recruiting for, many of the same recruitment marketing principles still apply. You need a marketing and advertising strategy that targets the right candidates followed by an efficient and effective shortlisting and selection process.

However, recruiting for construction and manufacturing presents many of its own unique challenges that can make it difficult for organisations to maintain the optimal staffing levels and remain competitive. In this article, we look at how word-of-mouth hiring and incentivised employee referrals can assist with recruiting in construction and manufacturing.

Factor in external influences

One of the things that makes construction and manufacturing so unique is its ‘boom and bust’ cycle, which reflects a range of factors including population growth, employment figures, interest rates and Australia’s overall economy. When recruiting for these roles, you need to be nimble, flexible and have the ability to anticipate your future staffing needs.

The total volume of construction activity across Australia has increased in the last two years, with a 2019 report by Master Builders Australia citing that activity nationwide is estimated to have increased by 11.4% to $220.8 billion during 2017/18. More demand translates to increase need for talent – which is why strategies such as referrals are becoming more and more important.

Attract talent through word of mouth

Word-of-mouth recruiting can often occur naturally when employees share the merits of their employer to friends, family and acquaintances. Current employees know what it’s like to work in the organisation and therefore refer people who they believe would be a good ‘fit’ for a new role. Most employees also care about their reputation so will only refer those they are interested in working with and can vouch for.

Suppliers, clients and sub-contractors also typically have a shortlist of workers who they would recommend, as do previous employees who can assist with vetting potential new hires. Most recruitment professionals also prefer to hire a candidate who not only have a quality reference, but are recommended by someone they know and trust.

Employee referrals can often mean candidates start with a better base knowledge of the position, the company and its culture because of their connection to the referring employee.

According to Susan Mayson, Associate, Australian Centre for Research in Work and Employment,“candidates are usually faster at getting up to the required standard of performance. There is evidence that employees who are good performers are likely to recommend potential recruits who are also likely to become good performers.”

Offer bonuses and incentives

More employers creating formal internal referral programs, where employees are offered financial incentives to motivate and reward those who put forward a successful referral and assist with filling job vacancies. Referral bonuses are determined by the type of position, a company’s hiring needs, and the nature of the workforce, however they often take the form of either cash incentives or other perks. Some organisations also offer an initial bonus and then a series of additional bonuses if the new recruit stays in the organisation, which motivates the employee to assist the new hire to succeed.

Disadvantages to be wary of!

Word-of-mouth hiring does have some disadvantages, including limiting the number of considered applicants you can consider and potentially reducing workforce diversity. Which is why it’s important to develop a formal recruitment referral program, keeping things like diversity in mind, which is transparent and grants all existing employees the chance to participate. You should also make it clear that recruitment referrals don’t automatically result in appointment – policies and procedures still need to be followed to ensure the right candidate is employed for the job.

To find out more about tailoring a recruitment strategy for your business, call us on 1300 366 573 or email info@employmentoffice.com.au.