Ways to fill open positions more quickly

In the wake of the pandemic and the Great Resignation, businesses are still plagued by unfilled positions. Although the number of vacancies has decreased in recent months, there are still more than 10 million roles available across the USA.

The American Staffing Association's president and chief executive officer, Richard Wahlquist, stated that the help-wanted signs are still up all across America.

According to recruiters and staffing agencies, these open positions might be more detrimental to businesses than they realize. One of the most problematic side effects of having too many openings, according to Tony Hoffman - vice president of recruiting at Orion Talent, is long-term organizational strain. At this point, workers at all levels must shoulder the burden of filling in for unfilled roles, which is a surefire recipe for stress and burnout.

As soon as that starts to happen, it's almost like a leak, Hoffman said. Employees are left short-handed to do the work of others. Residual attrition occurs as a result of the added stress on the remaining players. Because you can't rapidly fill the space left by the missing player, you end up losing players you'd like to keep.

Invest more in your current staff to draw in new ones.

In addition to recruiting from new labor pools such as early career talent and Americans who were formerly convicted, Hoffman advises businesses to invest in their present workers as a result of the tight labor market.

According to Hoffman, investing more funds and resources in referral programs for employees as well as more comprehensive employee benefits like technology stipends and vacation policies will aid in attracting new hires.

Where can talent be found and identified most effectively? Your present staff will serve as the referral source, according to Hoffman. They're a promoter for your business, and they'll be connected to others in related fields and job functions, directly feeding your referral network.

Hoffman stated that basic perks like employer-provided meals and office snacks will improve employee mood and increase retention. Additionally, benefits should also focus more on employees than employers.

Marketing, IT, and HR departments are three crucial internal divisions that Hoffman advised businesses to invest in if they want to recruit and keep employees.

If you leave them in an anemic state, it's going to have an impact on retention, he said. Those are the departments that everyone in an organization, from the top down to the bottom, relies on.

Wahlquist stated that businesses can always afford to devote more resources to their recruiters, talent acquisition teams, and staffing agences in order to fill positions more quickly, despite inflation and expenditure restraints.

Enliven the job descriptions for open positions

Joe Marino, chief operating officer of Jacksonville Beach, Florida-based Hueman People Solutions - which outsources the recruitment process, claimed that outdated job descriptions are a major factor in the failure to fill open positions.

According to Marino, the majority of job descriptions currently posted on job sites are often internal company documents and weren't created with candidates in mind.

In order to draw in applicants, he continued, organizations need to transform their internal job descriptions into candidate-focused job descriptions.

In addition to revising job descriptions, businesses also need to be more willing to accept applicants who don't exactly check all of the boxes, said Jennifer Cooper, senior vice president of Hueman People Solutions' outsourcing operations for the recruitment process.

Cooper added that because there is competition in the employment market, firms are becoming more flexible, providing on-the-job training, and promoting career ladder development. Candidates have lots of options to go for if you don’t do that and simply using black-and-white job descriptions with nothing colorful or attractive about them.

Give the applicant first priority and assist the recruiter

Cooper stated that recruiters need to change their perspective on filling vacant positions despite an impending recession and other economic pressures.

Cooper added, our investment is in pushing the applicant along and keeping that candidate warm, not in filling the job. Our focus is on assisting them find a job, because if the candidate leaves and the position reopens, then we have to fill the position again.

Cooper added that in order to secure a hiring placement that would endure through economic downturns, recruiters must not only discover candidates who match the job description but also those who match the hiring manager's requirements and expectations.

The success of talent acquisition and filling roles does not depend solely on the recruiter, according to Marino. You need a talented recruiter, but you also need strong recruitment leadership, efficient procedures, accountable recruiters, and technology that can assist talent acquisition functions.

Whether there is financial instability or not, Marino said, the leadership of the organization and the talent acquisition team are essential to a recruiter's ultimate success.

Marino remarked, recruiters can't do it alone. They require leaders to guide them, train them, coach them, and hold them responsible, and they need the tools required to drive success.

Source: cnbc.com