Nailing permanent recruitment in a fast market

A lot has been written about the shortage of talent and manpower across the economy at the moment, and particularly within the construction sector.  Whilst it’s difficult to argue with the larger statistics there are still plenty of people moving positions on a permanent basis, and at Clearfield we are seeing some record numbers of successful placements made for our clients and candidates.  Picking out some hints from our most successful clients at hiring at the moment reveals a few trends worth sharing:

1. Keep up the pace: speed of response to CV or interview feedback is key, this is a fast moving market and motivated candidates will be evaluating multiple opportunities.  Being quick off the mark through the early stages of the process conveys seriousness and desire, this can make you stand apart from slower responders.
2. Make best offers rather than negotiating: with fewer quality candidates than in other market cycles, the idea that you might be able to save a few thousand pounds on an annual salary by offering a salary less than you are actually prepared to pay the candidate and seeing what counter-offer might come back… is more likely to end the process than start a negotiation.  At the moment it’s better to make your best offer for the candidate first and keep the positivity flowing.
3. Prepare to be flexible: After a period of enforced flexibility for staff working from home, especially for office based staff or those covering multiple sites, it is much more likely to be a deal breaker now than ever before.  Worth considering if the candidate is successful in their current role and their current employer is trusting them to work from home for some of their hours, you’d probably be safe picking that trust up at the start, rather than offering flexible working as a potential future aspect of the role.
4. Don’t under pitch: make sure you know what the candidate is looking for money-wise and what they are currently on before agreeing to an interview.  If it’s out of the scope for the role and there is no flexibility best not to interview and end up offering less, there is a risk of turning the candidate off long-term to your business, as well as wasting your time.
5. Choose a recruiter carefully: In a competitive market is might seem best to spread your net as wide as possible and involve more recruiters on your permanent hiring projects.  We’d advise that now is more important than ever to partner and work with a recruiter exclusively.  They’ll know you are serious and they aren’t in competition, you won’t miss out on candidates and you will get a better service.