UK
Germany
Already this year, I’ve spoken to a few organisations keen to increase the size of the talent pools available to them. Some have been convinced that every avenue open to them has been utilised, whilst others have accepted that recruiting technical talent will always be a headache. My frequent response is, “what are you doing to attract and reach out to candidates that aren’t looking for a new role or don’t know about you?” In short, how are you reaching ‘unseen candidates’?
Nearly 40% of technology workers in the UK expect to find a new job in 2019. What will that look like for your business?
The wider context
The UK currently has the highest record of workers in employment since records began. According to a recent report released by Tech Nation, the UK Digital Tech sector is growing 2.6 times faster than the UK economy, cementing its position as a global leader. On the flipside, in over 80% of tech clusters, the tech community cited access to talent as their single biggest challenge. From 2014 to 2017, the employment rate within UK tech grew by nearly 15%.
The skills shortage is a growing concern for employers who will seek specialised technology resources to fill these gaps. This will create added pressure on hiring managers, as competition to secure the best talent remains fierce.
Why is technology talent joining your organisation?
According to a Harvard Business Review survey, nearly 50% of 1,003 respondents (all full-time professionals in the US) would rule out accepting a job with a company that exhibited the top three negative employer brand factors – despite a pay increase. A 10% raise would merely tempt 28% of respondents to join a company where concerns over job security, dysfunctional team, and poor leadership were apparent.
Over 90% of candidates review at least one resource to evaluate an employer’s brand before applying for a role, and women are 25% more likely than men to seek out reviews before putting their CV forward.
In a skills-short market, your employer brand will play a major part in the size of the talent pool available for you to select from. Constructing an effective and authentic brand can make the difference between an A* candidate choosing to apply for you or a competitor. Who you trust to project and build your brand is essential.
A couple of tips to get you started
1) Be aware of your current brand reputation
What are people saying about you? Check Glassdoor, Google, and social media. You may be surprised at the difference between reality and perception. Lorien conducts competitor analysis for all of our clients; a report that will show who you are losing talent to and how your brand stacks up against the opposition.
2) Be authentic
Be true to yourself. A lot of hiring managers I speak to are often surprised that candidates aren’t aware of how great their environment is. If you work in a great culture, you are often only aware of how great it is because you are already working within it. How would an external candidate find out how good your culture is? Lorien creates candidate packs to reflect your environment in addition to network events that show talent pools how great it is to work for your company.
3) Look to the future
Consider current talent shortages and where your future talent is coming from. Do you have strong connections with the education sector to enable a flow of your next superstars? Are you fully utilising your apprenticeship levy to upskill? Lorien can consult with you in how best to utilise your levy pool in addition to ensuring you are attractive to future talent.
Lorien has over 40 years’ experience in providing market-leading recruitment solutions, including employer branding. If you would like to find out more about building yours, please contact me via darren.topping@lorien.co.uk.