Having trouble finding high-quality candidates? Making a few small changes to your recruitment process could fix this, explains Charlie Ball
Recruitment is not easy. Many businesses, especially small ones, find themselves recruiting graduates they need right now at times that don't suit them, because of departures or new business. You might have an experienced member of staff with years of specialist knowledge to replace. You might have a new project that requires skills you don't currently have. Externally, people often assume that, somehow, recruiters know exactly how to write a great job specification and design a great ad, so if you offer a great vacancy, graduates will flock to it. However, the world isn't like that.
'Mistakes' is perhaps a slightly harsh word to use, as most of these are borne out of lack of resources or experience rather than simple errors of judgement. That being said, here are five common mistakes made in recruitment, why they happen, and what you can do about it.
1. Missing details from the job ad
You've talked about what your low-profile but excellent company does so graduates will be excited. You've explained your pay and benefits package, your robust and fair progression system, your programme of social responsibility and your flexible working arrangements. You've mentioned some of your projects and big-name clients, and even described your facilities and why it's great to work in the local area.
However, there's something missing - you've forgotten to describe what the job actually entails day to day.
You'd be surprised how often this happens. Really, you want to cover all of these bases where you can. Graduates want to know what they'll be asked to do, where they'll be based, who they'll work with, what the conditions are, and how much they'll earn. If you don't tell them these things, they'll fill in the blanks with their own ideas about it, which might be unrealistic or negative. You don't want them to do that.
2. Offering an unattractive salary
You'll often pay what you think you can afford, which becomes a problem when this figure happens to be below the local wages for the people you need. This is a particular issue for graduate roles in tech, where starting salaries can be quite high, but can also be a problem in areas where there are occupational shortages - you won't always know where these shortages are when you're not recruiting into these roles regularly.
Get to grips with the local salaries in your industry, especially if it's a new role that you haven't hired into before. Never assume that another company - particularly a smaller business - knows the current going rate for new employees in their field. It's often worth asking around to make sure you're pitching pay and benefits right for the market. Use organisations, such as Prospects, as a starting point for a view of the salaries that different positions usually command and whether or not your wage is likely to be competitive.
3. Misjudging the graduate talent pool
The graduate economy has grown quickly since the end of the recession, and as a result, some employers who want to expand have found that there are not enough qualified employees in their fields to meet demand. The Bank of England issues increasingly ominous warnings every month about recruitment difficulties in a range of largely graduate roles.
The British Chambers of Commerce stated at the start of 2018 that 'Labour and skills shortages are set to be the biggest potential drag anchor on business in 2018, since ultimately it is people that make businesses work.'
An increased - and welcome - focus by graduate employers on a more diverse workforce means that well-meaning initiatives, such as trying to boost the number of women working as coders and software developers in business, can work towards fixing supply issues that then deters the business from taking further action.
The crucial thing here is to really get to grips with the nuances of graduate supply. Fortunately the UK universities system has probably the best data in the world on this, so work with them to understand the size of the talent pools in which you are fishing.
4. Expecting cutting-edge skills
This is less of a mistake as such and more just a recipe for a poor response to a vacancy unless handled very carefully.
Rapid technical change means employers seek skill sets that may not have come to the employment market yet, in order to exploit new business opportunities. This is particularly pronounced in, although not confined to, the tech sector.
Universities are grappling with the issue of rapidly moving skills demand in the context of degrees that typically take three or more years to deliver, and the answer is not easy. Employer training may have to play a central role in skills development, and businesses may have to accept that it won't be easy - or even possible - to recruit 'oven-ready' graduates in some cases.
5. Not compromising on job criteria
You want the perfect employee. You've written a job specification, and if you don't receive applicants who hit every single point, you might consider not recruiting at all. This specification often asks for a precise mix of technical skills, soft skills, the right qualifications (of the right grade, from the right institution), and the right kind of employment history (such as not having moved jobs very often). Employers are often wary of candidates who they see as being overqualified, as this might be a signal that the candidate will not wish to stay long term.
Not finding the perfect employee usually leads to disappointment. There's a lot going on here to do with managing employer expectations (understanding what is realistic and what is merely desirable within the confines of current supply), and ensuring that graduates supplement good technical skills with soft skills. They need to be able to articulate their own attributes, skills, capabilities and experiences effectively, to ensure they can get good jobs.
If you can avoid these mistakes you should find recruitment easier, more efficient and that it leads to hiring better candidates, which is a win for the labour market as a whole.
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