Summer seems to have come and gone in the blink of an eye (that may be more to do with the weather though) and we're now bounding through the fallen golden leaves and crisper nights of autumn. As much as we may not want to admit it the festive season will be upon us before we know it. With yuletide joy starting to creep closer it's time to begin ramping up your recruitment to ensure your workforce is covered and working at full capacity and the highest level of productivity during your busiest - and most wonderful - time of the year.
Don't wait for your competitors to poach the candidates you need before rolling out your seasonal recruitment drive; begin early and reap the rewards. Read our top tips on attracting the candidates you require before your competitors even begin to look for seasonal staff.
The target market
Make sure that you know who you're targeting and the candidates that will not only want to work for you, but that'll be able to work for you. Promoting your company business culture to be one thats fun, flexible and entrepreneurial may attract Generation Y and Generation Z candidates however, if your local demographic is not particularly young or you are looking for full-time employees over part-time then you could be alienating the candidates who really want to work for you.
The job advert
Your job advert is the first and possibly final impression candidates will perceive of you - make sure it's the right one. Think about what will differentiate you from your competitors - what is your unique selling point? Is it your flexible working, open culture, diverse workforce, career progression and training programmes or even company values? Stand out from the sea of job roles and organisations looking for candidates by stating why people should be working for you and how it outshines the rest of the market.
The benefits
What makes you go to work in the morning? As much as we like to say that it's the role itself that gives us pride and fuels our want to work and strive for better, for most of us it's really not. Incentives such as bonuses, team outings and clear career development are typically what spurs us on at work so make sure these are highlighted when promoting your role. Don't underestimate the perks that you may find insignificant due to your tenure in the business. On-site parking and canteens are definite perks for job-seekers and should be within your job advert.
Listen to your current workforce
Find out why your current employees were first attracted to you and what has made them stay. Gaining this feedback will not only help you work out how best to attract candidates and what you need to let the job seeking market know about the role and your business, but it will also help you to retain your current workers. The last thing you want is to lose skilled staff to a competitor, especially during your peak period. Don't forget your current employees when attracting new ones as they are your most valuable asset and are the people who will be supporting you through the busy season.
Speak to the experts
It's not a simple task recruiting in volume especially in the lead up to peak periods. This is inevitably your busiest period at work too and with your day to day duties increasing you may not have the time or the information to be able to plan, devise and execute a recruitment strategy that has tight timelines and many roles to fill. Your local Brook Street branch however has the capacity, knowledge and local candidate database you need that are immediately available to work when you need them.
We all know that in order to overcome any festive frustrations and a seasonal setback, preparation is key. Start early and hire the candidates other employers can only put on their wish lists and dream of receiving this year.
Find out how to attract and retain millennials, the demographic set to dominate the global workforce within the next decade by downloading our millennial attraction guide.
