Needless to say, it has been an absolute roller coaster ride in recruitment for the last year. This time last year our office was closed and we were all (trying to) work from home with our client calls resulting in a lot of laughter (from the client side) and many people asking if we were serious in talking about recruitment. The majority of companies were shedding staff and the phrase that became most dreaded in our team was being told that “they were battening down the hatches” to weather the storm. So, what is the result 1 year on? With Australia relatively insulated the vast majority of our clients (who are all in the commercial sales space) are returning to their business-as-usual mode. But is it?
The reality of the sales candidate landscape at the moment is extremely tight. With a lot of companies on the search for talent to restock their sales team the sentiment in candidates is one of reluctance. It is easily the tightest candidate market since just prior to the GFC (September/October 2008) and the key difference is that with the borders closed there are no international candidates at all.
Candidates first and foremost priority at the moment is job stability. Yes, the job ads are at record levels and this is great, however the candidate response is subdued to say the least. Candidates are increasingly savvy to the actions of employers and are very mindful that last in first out is a very real phenomenon if COVID returns as it is fresh in their memories from last year.
Ask yourself as an employer – why would a candidate leave a job where they are established knowing that if they are in a probation period and COVID strikes again that they will likely be terminated (in their opinion).
Whilst we are a sales focused recruitment agency, a relevant case occurred when one of our consultants did a favour for a client and agreed to fill a warehouse role for a picker packer (admittedly with a forklift licence). The consultant finally found a candidate that was suitable and the candidate had entered the market that day. The resume (after screening) was presented the same day and the client ummed and ahhed on whether they were suitable. Of course, that raises another issue (the old don’t judge the resume story which we can discuss in another post) and by the time (end of the day) the client agreed to meet with the candidate they had already had 3 interviews and been offered and accepted a job on the spot. This happened in a 24-hour window. Needless to say, the client missed out and is still looking.
The market is so tight at the moment for quality people so how do you beat it? You need to move fast! Streamline you process! This is key. If you are drawing out your interview process longer than a week you can pretty much forget securing a candidate. The competition in the market is extremely fierce. No longer should you be asking the question of why a candidate wants to work for you, it really is a landscape of where you need to convince them of why they should join your company.
Finally – compromise! They elusive 10 out of 10 candidate is wishful thinking. It always was and is, especially now. Be prepared to revisit your job description and relax your criteria. You need to have in place some mechanisms that allow for training and development as the current market and employment is not dictated by employers. Whilst that is a bitter pill to swallow it is truly the way it is right now. So as with everything you need to adapt or miss out.
We are continually educating our clients at the moment on the need for action. If the right candidate (or close to it) is presented you need to act immediately, interview straight away and work hard to secure them.
Talk to us if you would like to improve your recruitment process. After all we work in the sales market each and every day and the companies that are heeding our advice in this turbulent and tight market are reaping the benefits against their competitors who are languishing in outdated processes and mindsets.
