With the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) reporting of difficulties in recruiting and the Office of National Statistics (ONS) confirming historic high levels of employment, today’s employment market, without doubt, is “candidate driven”. It is becoming increasingly competitive for employers to secure the candidates they want.

So what can give you the edge over your competitors in a candidate driven market?

1. Shorten the timescales. Yes it takes a while to review CVs and applications but at the outset have clear deadlines to work towards. We would recommend a timeframe of one month from advertising, interviewing and making an offer, if not sooner. Anything longer could lead to disappointment because a competitor company has moved quickly to secure the best candidate.
2. Be decisive. If you see someone you like and think fits the requirements of the role, move on that candidate…quickly. If you want to wait to “benchmark” a preferred candidate with further interviews and delay, you’ll probably find yourself back at square one.
3. It’s not all about salary. Although salary is an important factor for candidates, it is often not the primary deciding factor. Look at other things like working hours, flexibility, company culture and additional benefits.
4. YOU’RE being interviewed. In such a buoyant market candidates are going to want to know why they should choose your organisation. It is a two-way street so give the best impression of your organisation.
5. Give feedback. With the rise of social media everyone has a voice so be sure to give feedback to candidates who have not been successful. It only takes one post/tweet/dislike/to put all candidates off applying to your company.

Employers who follow the above have a much better chance of securing the talent they desire in this candidate driven market.

Bowen Eldridge Recruitment is a Recruitment Agency that specialises in Accountancy Practice, Finance and Marketing roles.