The Top Reason Why Organizations Lose First-Choice Candidates
It is an understatement to say that 2020 has not gone as planned. Human resources professionals in all business sectors are leading the way to help their organizations navigate through complex occupational health, legal, social, cultural, and governmental policy changes.
In many cases, 2020 talent acquisition and retention strategies have been set aside to manage the current crises. Unfortunately, it appears that the impacts of Covid-19 will continue throughout 2020 and 2021 even as the virus wanes in certain areas. The situation will continue to demand your organization’s focus and adaptability.
How will you get back on track with talent recruitment?
It's time to revisit your strategy before Quarter 4 to meet the hiring demands of 2021. Below are some questions you should consider as it relates to hiring and retention in the current climate:
How do we continue to hire top talent remotely throughout our marketing, recruitment, and selection phases?
How will we introduce our top candidates to our area while Covid-19 restrictions and health risks of travel are in place?
How do we find the time to see to and follow through on our candidates’ relocation questions?
Many of our experienced candidates will bring their spouses or partners and other family members with them. How do we help acclimate the candidate’s family? How do we meet this need and turn it into a differentiator?
Our candidate’s accepting the offer is dependent on her spouse finding a job. How do we support this effort?
The Deciding Factor For Your Candidates
Research shows that relocation concerns are a major reason why organizations lose first-choice candidates. Where compensation and benefits are relatively equal in a competitive environment, the candidate will select a company based on the following factors:
Will my spouse/partner find a job?
Will my family be happy?
Will we have access to the activities we enjoy?
What about daycare/education for my children?
It's true. The deciding factor may have nothing to do with your company and sign-on bonus you're offering. It has more to do with the quality of life your candidate can expect while working at your organization (and potentially relocating to be near your office). These are the unanswered questions that keep candidates on the fence. If you can get good at answering these questions, and painting a picture of their new life in your city, then you'll win the top talent every time.
Stand Out From the Competition
But this takes time. And you have to build a lot of trust to be able to have these honestly, heartfelt conversations with candidates. That's where we come in. Our clients rely on us to help them hire top talent and to ensure candidates and their families are excited about their relocation. Seeing to the needs and priorities in your candidate’s personal life will be a strong differentiator that enhances your talent brand, and improves your acceptance and retention rates.
I’m excited about the innovations that are coming about in the workplace as a response to the current crisis. We've refined our process to provide more value to organizations and their candidates during these uncertain times. We know your teams are working harder than ever and rising to the challenge. Consider allowing my team to support you with a fully customized hiring, onboarding, and retention strategy. Our clients appreciate our role in supporting their talent strategy as they focus on workplace innovation.