Building a future-ready workforce: three ways to improve your recruitment 

It's no exaggeration to say recruitment is now unrecognisable compared to what it was a few years ago.

Gone are the days of posting vacancies on a job board and sieving your way through the flood of applicants.

While we are beginning to see the number of job vacancies reduce, they still remain far above pre-pandemic levels, prompting businesses and HR professionals to re-evaluate how they attract and recruit talent.

Now more than ever you need a robust talent management strategy, which is not only backed by excellent recruitment processes but also takes steps to showcase your business and make it appealing to candidates.

We've sat down with our own HR director, Lizzy Barry, and HR software expert, Stuart Bate, to uncover three tangible ways you can improve your attraction and recruitment.

Why is attracting talent so important in 2024?

In the past, when there was less competition for good talent among employers, simply posting a job advert would suffice.

But now, more effort is required.

Currently, it's reported that there are 898,000 job vacancies in the UK – that’s a lot of businesses going head-to-head against each other.

Secondly, when you look at the addressable job seeker market, there are only 5-15% of people actively seeking new employment.

The rest are either not seriously seeking new employment or they're passive candidates (those not actively seeking, but open to the right opportunity should it come their way).

As such, putting across you’re an attractive employer is more important than ever before.

You need to sway those in the recruitment process to avoid losing them to another employer as well as entice the semi-active job seekers and passive candidates. 

To create a strong attraction and recruitment strategy, consider the following three areas.

Essential guide for business growth: Recruitment

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1) Improve your understanding of the talent market

In recent years, the workforce has become increasingly multigenerational, with Gen Z entering the workforce and Millennials becoming the majority.

Additionally, Gen X still hold a large stake in the workforce and Government initiatives alongside an ever-rising cost of living have resulted in retirees also returning.

While all these generations work alongside each other, what they want out of work is drastically different, and as such, this must be reflected in your recruitment initiatives.

An employee who has just become a new parent will have drastically different needs to that of a fresh graduate looking to save up money before going travelling.

You must consider the unique preferences and values of the different age groups to attract a wide range of candidates.

For instance, younger generations often seek opportunities for growth, work-life balance and a sense of purpose, while older workers might prioritise stability, benefits and a supportive work environment.

To attract as many candidates as possible, showcase all these options and benefits in your job adverts and clearly communicate them during interviews.

Additionally, different generations reside in different areas on the internet.

Use a range of diverse recruitment platforms and tailor the messaging to resonate with each age group; for example, Gen Z frequents TikTok and Instagram while Gen X use Facebook and LinkedIn.

Consideration: to attract Gen Z on Instagram, you might want to use targeted adverts which showcase your culture and flexibility, while for Gen X, a detailed job advert on LinkedIn which clearly states all available benefits may work best.

2) Optimise your job adverts

We often advise businesses to think of their job ads as breaking news headlines.

When people are scrolling through social media or job websites, consider what is going to make them stop and say wow – following the rise in social media apps such as TikTok, people's attention spans have reduced significantly so you need to immediately capture their attention.

To create job adverts that truly capture attention, focus on clarity and appeal.

Make sure the job titles are clear and recognisable by your desired industry/candidate.

Note: while a wacky and fun job title may garner attention, it will most likely result in confusion.

Next, use the opening lines to hook potential candidates by highlighting what makes your company unique, be that an innovative product, a strong mission or a vibrant culture.

We’ve found covering the following areas in job adverts is also highly beneficial for attracting candidates:

• Flexibility
• Salary
• Culture
• Career progression
• Employee benefits

For those posting their job adverts on social media, including visual elements, like images or infographics, can also help make the advert more inviting.

Top tip: free graphic design platforms, like Canva, are very user-friendly and feature a wide array of pre-made templates you can use to improve your job ad images.

Lastly, including testimonials or stories from current employees to provide an authentic glimpse into the work environment can be an amazing way to cut through the noise and get noticed by candidates.

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3) Make better use of technology

Recruitment software, also known as an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and AI can help massively speed up your processes while still keeping the human elements.

I know what you're thinking! How can artificial intelligence and software make recruitment more human? Surely that’s an oxymoron.

Well, using technology, you can automate and streamline the more admin-focused parts of recruitment, freeing you up to focus on actually engaging with candidates and building a rapport.

For example, software can automate tasks such as sending emails and booking interviews.

Not only does this take a job off your to-do list, but it also speeds up the recruitment process, which is crucial for getting people interested and on board before another employer swoops in.

Other key features and benefits of an ATS include:

• Paperless online vacancy requests
• Content-rich career pages
• Job-specific application forms
• Self-service candidate accounts
• Personalised onboarding portals

Software is there to aid you by helping you save time and reducing manual errors.

Watch the full webinar for more information

Hopefully, you can take something away from the above, and start optimising how you attract and recruit candidates.

If you want more information, you're in luck.

The full webinar with Lizzy and Stuart not only covers the above in more detail but also explores the role of learning & development (L&D) and promoting & career pathing, alongside product demos so you can see exactly how HR software can simplify these areas.

Watch the full recruitment webinar here.

The employee lifecycle

HR recruitment forms just one part of the employee lifecycle.

There are a range of areas you need to get right to ensure you're getting the most out of your people.

Not sure where to start? Fear not!

Download our handy guide to optimising the employee lifecycle here.