Why Job Postings Are Not Working and What You Can Do Instead

Our team of professional recruiters covers all aspects of employment from senior management down to support level positions across North America. I would like to share some of the realities we deal with daily in the hopes it will help you plan your hiring and expectations in this new marketplace.

A lot of things have changed since the COVID Pandemic.

• Video Conferencing is everyone’s “New Normal”
• Those who have jobs are afraid of losing them so do not want to take any chances
• Those out of work are responding to every possible open position, driving up the “do-not-fit” ratios
• Some people are thinking more often that “Now is a good time to change careers or industries” This is prompting applications to their dreams, not yours!
• Counter-offers are up to two or three times higher compared to a normal market. This results in a lot of work and no results when your chosen Superstar decides to stay where they are instead of joining your team
• The uncertainty has brought a lot more “Tire Kickers” into the market who just want to “see what’s out there”
• The “time to hire” is getting longer as the lack of travel possibilities and reliance on video communication slows everything down.
• Sales roles, in particular, are more challenging as clients are reluctant to see people in person, and the reliance on other forms of communication is the only choice.
• Some positions that normally get well responded to surprisingly produce few, if any good candidates.

What can you do about it?

• Adjust your plan and expectations accordingly.
• Add more time to the plan, it is just taking longer to sort through the mountain of applicants and close deals these days.
• Ensure everyone on the hiring team is prepared to be available (often on short notice) as the process evolves.
• Consider online personality and character testing to help make an informed decision.

As a recruiter, I would be remiss if I did not make one more suggestion. When you really need help, find an expert third party recruiter. They dig down through all of the noise and reach out to those who have no idea about your opportunity until the phone rings and the recruiter explains the opportunity, one to one.

In summary, my best advice is “Do Not “Settle”. A bad hire is easy to make and difficult and expensive to fix.