Guest Opinion: How companies can recruit qualified employees

Business leaders are struggling to find qualified workers to fill job openings. With unemployment in New York State hovering around 8.0% and Tompkins County just above 4%, it has become challenging for local businesses to recruit employees. The result is that positions go unfilled and existing employees must fill in to get the job done. This can create high stress for existing employees and the potential for more turnover within the organization.

Gone are the days of posting a job on the web and receiving 25 applicants, all qualified for the job. In today’s labor market, demand is high, and supply of qualified applicants is low.

Companies are competing for qualified staff and they must be fast-paced to keep candidates engaged in the process. “Candidate ghosting” is a new phrase in recruiting where communication simply stops from the candidate, which is one of the most frustrating challenges in the hiring process.

What can companies do to face this bleak reality in recruiting? Here are five suggestions for hiring top talent in today’s labor market:

1. Recognize times have changed. Realize your company must be attractive to candidates. Focus on changing your organization’s slow-moving recruiting process to one of being nimble and efficient. Bring qualified candidates in as fast as you can and keep the process moving.

2. Pay within the market for the position. We see companies falling below competitive wage rates and not understand why they can’t attract top talent. Wages continue to rise and organizations have to stay competitive. If you are not sure what to pay for professional positions, please review the Express Employment Professionals’ free Compensation Report at https://www.expresspros.com/uploadedFiles/Corporate/Corporate_US/Content/Documents/CompensationReport_SRG.pdf

3. Focus on your culture. Candidates look at the culture of an organization before deciding whether to work there. They may ask: “Is there flexibility in working hours? How does management treat its staff? and Is there potential to grow within this organization?” To attract talent to your business, you must provide a culture where people want to work. Review areas within your company culture that can be tweaked to attract more candidates.

4. Recognize the right candidate may not have everything you want in the role. Sometimes the best candidates turn into the best employees after six months on the job. Skills not listed on someone’s resume can be learned. If a candidate has some of the top qualities you are looking for, ask yourself whether they can be trained for other areas.

5. Again, and worth repeating: act fast. If you find a fantastic candidate early on, don’t think you need multiple candidates to compare the top one to. You will waste everyone’s time if you keep interviewing just to compare notes.

We do not see the candidate shortage ending anytime soon. By utilizing one or all of these tips for recruiting, your organization will be able to stay competitive and keep your business fully staffed.

Kathryn Nivison owns the Ithaca and Cortland New York Express Employment Professionals offices. To submit a guest opinion piece, email editorial@vizellamedia.com.