47% of Australian Small Businesses Struggle to Find Staff – Here Are Some Reasons Why
Do you receive plenty of applications for your open positions, but still aren’t seeing the right candidates? You’re not alone. In fact, 47% of Australian small businesses struggle to find the right staff for open positions.
On average, there are 10 unemployed job seekers for every open position. The problem isn’t that not enough candidates are applying, but a lack of ‘quality’ applicants.
So, what does this mean for you? It’s time to review your recruitment advertising strategy.
Read on for three things you need to do, to start seeing the right candidates.
Know the cultural fit you’re after
In order to write an accurate job description that will attract the right candidate, you first need to know the personality traits required of your next hire.
Failing to realise which personality traits you’re after, and consequently, not articulating these requirements on your job listing, means you will likely attract a number of applicants who are ultimately the wrong type of candidates for you.
All too often HR managers don’t realise the characteristics they need from their new talent until after a regretful hiring decision. Whether it’s a bad cultural fit, incompatible working processes or a difference in company vision, these factors can result in a short-lived tenancy for your new on-board.
Being able to identify the type of person you want in your organisation could mean the difference between an outstanding long-term hire and a short-lived win.
Set the bar high on your job listing
It may sound counter-intuitive, but to see the right candidates, it’s necessary to set expectations and target job seekers with certain skills, experience and qualifications. A common mistake is trying to appeal to too many job seekers, resulting in an influx of applicants who are unsuitable. This only delays the recruitment process and prolongs the time taken to identify higher quality applicants – by which time they could have been hired by a competitor!
So, be clear about whom you’re after and don’t shy away from setting high expectations. This is something we can help with.
Employment Office’s Recruitment Advertising Specialists are experienced in running consultations with our clients to help you understand who you are looking for, in order to write accurate job advertisements to attract the people you need.
“The process we go through in crafting recruitment advertising for our clients leaves no stone unturned. Over 20 years in the recruitment industry has taught us what to include in a job description in order to attract attention from candidates with the right cultural fit and abilities, and immediately put off those who aren’t a match for your organisation– saving both parties valuable time,” says Jessica Harkin, Head of Recruitment Advertising at Employment Office.
Be where your talent is – but not where your competitors are
Online job boards such as Indeed, Seek and CareerOne have replaced newspapers and become the ‘bread and butter’ of job listings. They are key to any recruitment advertising strategy.
But while you’re posting on these job boards for convenience and wide reach, so are your competitors. SEEK alone has over 135,000 monthly job advertisements. So, what should you do (beyond ensuring your job ads are perfectly written)? Go one step further – be where your competitors aren’t.
- Niche Job boards
There are so many online job boards that are industry specific and receive a high engagement. For example, public relations and communications positions are advertised on the Public Relations Institute of Australia website, and engineering roles are on Engineering Jobs Australia. It sounds simple but too often, these websites are overlooked.
- University Outlets
Almost every university has a newsletter, webpage and social media page all advertising career opportunities. There are even a number of closed university club Facebook groups made up of passionate students waiting for their big break. It’s important to foster a relationship with universities in order to advertise on these media outlets and tap into a talent pool of young professionals.
Connecting with universities opens up a range of opportunities for project and research collaboration as well as internships and work placement opportunities – all helping to grow your talent pool with the right type of applicants.
Knowing who you want in your organisation and being able to articulate this on a job description, setting high expectations and advertising in the right places are all key to unveiling the right candidates for you.
Editor’s note: Employment Office provides low-cost recruitment services at a flat fee. From Recruitment Advertising and Shortlisting & Selection services to recruitment technology – Employment Office takes the stress out of recruitment. Click here to partner with the leaders in recruitment and find staff today.
