Tracy Welch, Business Director at Priority Appointments, explains how to win the war for talent when recruiting for jobs in Basingstoke.

When a client asked me the best way to secure the people they need to grow in the current recruitment climate, my advice was simple: “If you like them, hire them!”

There are of course very good reasons why recruiting new people can take a long time. 

Businesses are, well, busy, which can mean that finalising a job offer can take an extended period of time. Many companies have internal processes and procedures that involve multiple decision-makers who need to confer and compare information before a formal job offer can be made.

But in the current climate where the best candidates often have two, three or more offers, there is no time to lose when it comes to securing the best people who can help your company grow and thrive. 

Why is Filling Jobs in Basingstoke so Tough?

The latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (April 2022) show that unemployment here in the South East is just 3.4%, well below the national figure.

These figures are borne out by our professional industry body, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC). In its Jobs Outlook for April 2022, REC has said that  large (250+ employee) and mid-sized (50-249 employee) organisations were notably optimistic about increasing headcount, at net: +33 and net: +31, respectively.

Where is Everybody?!

There are numerous reasons why recruiting is so tough at present. You’ll have read in the press that there are an estimated MILLION fewer people in the labour market than before the pandemic, which explains much of the problem. 

Added to this is the fact that there are an estimated 4million people who may be dealing with health problems as a result of having had COVID, or who have new caring roles as a direct or indirect result of the pandemic and who aren’t currently in the workplace.

Put these factors together and it’s easy to see why the war for talent is so heated!

Mistakes That Are Costing Employers Talent

In a climate where an eye-watering 50% of UK employers are experiencing labour shortages, it’s essential to make sure the jobs you have on offer are attractive to the best candidates.

The most common mistakes we see include:

Failing to prioritise making job offers - when business is full-on, making a job offer to a candidate can get lost in everyday busy-ness. But in the current climate, a delay of even a few hours can mean losing out on securing the best people.

Overly-complex recruitment processes - many companies have recruitment processes that have grown organically over the years, meaning they have steps that really don’t add value and that can cause delays in making job offers. 

Poor internal communication - sometimes employers miss out on ideal candidates purely down to one area of the business not knowing or understanding what another area needs. We encourage our clients to make sure all stakeholders are clear about the objectives before we present shortlists of candidates for interview. 

Unrealistic expectations in terms of skills and / or experience - when we recruit for our clients, we always check which skills, qualifications and experience are essential, and what is ‘nice-to-have’. Employers that are unrealistic about the type of people they want often end up missing out on the best ‘hidden gems’.

Offering outdated salaries or pay rates - the rise in the National Living Wage and the voluntary Real Living Wage, coupled with the increase in the cost of living, mean that salaries and hourly rates have all increased over recent months. 

Many firms are going beyond just increasing the salary band for offers, and are adding in-work benefits, such as flexible working, to help them win the war for local talent in Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire.

First Past the Post

Right now, speed is probably even more key than offering the right level of salary and benefits.

In August 2021, LinkedIn published research based on an analysis of 400,000 confirmed hires on its platform to see how long the recruitment process took. 

They found that engineering was right up there as one of the sectors which took the longest to hire new people, taking an average of 49 days to appoint new members of staff!

Recruiting for Manufacturing, Engineering and Logistics

In our specialist sectors of manufacturing, logistics and precision engineering we’re increasingly finding that it is companies that can make offers quickly who are securing the best candidates.

Many people have told us that if they didn’t hear back after an interview that they felt had gone well, that they assumed the employer wasn’t interested in them, so they went off to look elsewhere.

So in a climate where great people are so hard to come by, making good decisions quickly is the best way to secure the best people. 

Here at Priority Appointments, we help our clients walk the tricky tightrope between acting quickly, whilst still making sure that the people they employ in temporary or permanent roles have the right skills and attributes to fit in and become valuable members of the team.

Get in touch with our professional team to find out how we can help give you the best chance of securing the right people: office@priorityappointments.co.uk.