The candidate it seems! And I should be the first to notice the change in the employment market over the last year, having endured one of the worst recessions to date. For I am one of those ‘crazy’ consultants that started their career in the midst of the recession in 2009, when jobs were thin on the ground and we were witness to companies downsizing or shutting up shop right before our eyes. Mass redundancies and instead of the usual introduction call of ‘have you got a job for us?’ the tone changed to something like ‘please pass on my contact details to the people you are making redundant’. Not that we had many jobs to offer them.
Oh how the times have changed, and rightly so after so many years of high unemployment. Fast forward to November 2014 and we have more jobs than we have people! Well, not quite that extreme, but there is a definite shortage of talent/people in the market at the moment, most likely a result of increasing employment and improving economic conditions, driving business confidence and resulting in some ‘loosening of the recruitment budget belts’.
So what does this mean to the recruiter/employer?
Here are our key observations:-
Consequently, employees and candidates are becoming more aware of their position in the market as they are interviewing for more than one opportunity. This has resulted in candidates negotiating on salary offers, should they receive more than one offer or have more than one potential opportunity.
I could go on in more detail about this matter, and we will definitely re-visit this topic as it is so intricate and ever evolving. However, I think it is time to round this blog off with some key tips for ensuring you secure top talent for your business in this candidate-driven market:-
It may be sounding a bit like a broken record, but it is there in writing and coming from someone who is witnessing first hand clients missing out on their talent through slow processes.
When a recruitment consultant says those key words ‘we need to move quick to secure this person for you’ they’re not lying, as their reputation and fee relies on this advice. Those key words mean that they know this person is good, they have the opportunity to secure that good talent for you, but that window of opportunity can be small.
Therefore these four basic tips are not just pulled out of thin air, and this blog does have a ‘raison d’être’ Nothing is fail safe, but with experience behind me I can confidently say, follow these basic rules and you will improve your ability to secure good people.
If you have any of your own tips for securing top talent then please do email them directly to me at lauren@uxbridge-employment.co.uk