Why quicker turnaround times are key to securing talent in the current market
When thinking about hiring for your team, it’s important to do as much planning and preparation in advance to ensure that the actual hiring process is as efficient and smooth running as it can. It’s not something that should be approached in an ad-hoc manner. The more streamlined and thought through your recruitment process is, the better chance you have of attracting and securing the best candidates.
Your recruitment process is a reflection of your business
The experience that candidates have during the recruitment process should all be part of your wider employer branding strategy, and will reflect your business in either a positive or negative light, depending on the experience the candidate receives. If your recruitment process is disorganised and lacks good communication, candidates are likely to assume the same about working for you.
The reality is that talented hospitality candidates are in high demand in the current market, and sadly, we are seeing far too many occasions when firms looking to hire are missing out on good quality candidates, simply because they are not moving fast enough.
There are many reasons for this, but the main ones might be a lack of urgency in booking candidates in for interviews once CVs have been received, not providing feedback to candidates or recruiters in a timely manner after an interview (or even worse, not providing any feedback at all), being slow to make a decision at offer stage, or wanting to interview more candidates simply for comparison purposes.
Quicker turnaround times
At Annesley Gandon, we work closely with and advise our holiday parks and leisure clients so they feel confident on how best to successfully navigate the recruitment market and to ensure they can attract the right individuals to their teams.
In response to the current market, we are encouraging quicker turnaround times, from shortlist to interview and from interview to offer so that hiring firms don’t miss out on their ideal candidate. Speed really is of the essence, now more than ever before in a candidate-driven market.
Top tips for a more streamlined recruitment process
So, here’s our advice on how to ensure your recruitment process is as streamlined as possible to ensure you secure the best hospitality talent for your holiday park or leisure business:
- Before you even begin hiring, think in advance about the type of person you need to recruit: both in terms of skills and experience, and personality traits for a good cultural fit.
- Ensure that all of those people who need to be involved in the recruitment process, whether it’s hiring managers or HR, are available and have been notified in advance.
- Keep the number of interview stages to as few as possible – lengthy and drawn out interview stages can frustrate candidates and mean your competitors snap up the best people quicker.
- Remember that choice is limited: there are just not as many high-quality job seekers looking for roles as before.
- Good candidates will often be involved in multiple recruitment processes at once, so if you come across a talented individual, don’t let them slip away because you didn’t move fast enough.
- You need to have a streamlined recruitment process, and ensure you are offering strong salary and benefits packages to remain competitive.
- Be aware that candidates are demanding more from their employers, and they will favour roles with more flexibility.
- Respond to CVs and always provide feedback after an interview in a timely manner – big delays can mean good people have already been snapped up!
- If there has been a delay somewhere in the recruitment process, keep in contact with your candidates – a lack of communication will lead to people becoming disengaging.
- Don’t ghost candidates/recruiters – always let them know where they stand (whether it’s good or bad news), otherwise it can harm your reputation as an employer.
- If you find a strong candidate you like, don’t waste time interviewing more people simply for comparison purposes – it can elongate your processes unnecessarily and you might miss out on a great candidate as a result.
- Once offers have been made and accepted, candidates are likely to still receive calls regarding other roles. Ensure contracts are sent out immediately to avoid the risk of a u-turn.
- Ensure you have regular contact with your candidates during their notice periods until they start their new role with you to maintain engagement levels.
By following our tips, you will have the best chance of hiring and retaining the best people for your holiday parks or leisure business. Remember that an experienced recruiter like Annesley Gandon can help support you with your hiring needs in these challenging markets and secure your ideal candidate.
