Ask a Customer: How Do I Attract More Candidates?
We love dishing out staffing advice—whether it’s how to best use Bullhorn or which KPIs you should use to measure your firm’s performance—but we’re not the only staffing experts in town. In fact, our customers are bonafide experts, too. In this series, we ask some of our most pressing questions to top staffing pros. See how to persuade your clients to increase candidate pay here.
What Matters to Candidates in a Staffing Firm?
Looking to attract more candidates to your staffing firm? You’re in good company. Candidate acquisition was the top priority for firms heading into 2019, and improving the candidate experience finished just behind it.
So why and how do candidates actually choose a staffing firm and what determines if a candidate has a good or bad candidate experience? We asked our customers for their very best tips. Here’s what they had to say.
What matters most to a candidate in a staffing firm? How should firms brand themselves to appeal to candidates?
“Response time matters most. Even if you don’t have an answer for the candidate, they want to feel as if they are your top priority at all times. Firms should brand themselves as having multiple means of communication open and being there for each person and each person’s individual needs.” — Daria Gourianova
“Transparency. From my experience, candidates always tell me that the recruiters they work with are not transparent and are “shady”. At Procom, we strive for transparency. In my six years in the industry, transparency has been huge in getting deals and working with high-level candidates.” —Isaac Castelan
“My candidates have always appreciated strong customer service. We keep them updated on submissions, interview feedback, etc. It’s also important to keep in touch during assignments so we can check in and assist with any issues that arise.” — Valerie Anderson
“Candidates value open communication. They’re left in the dark during much of the hiring process, so a recruiter that keeps their candidates informed and interested is usually the most successful. By establishing complete transparency and open communication, you earn their trust, and it’s much easier to keep a candidate interested in the position.” — Gary Fiore
“Provide support throughout their career journey. Many staffing agencies focus on short-term targets—get people a job. To build real engagement with candidates, we need to take a broader, longer-term view. Understand where people wish to go, what they’re good at, and the challenges they have. Then coach then through it or towards an environment that might not be what a candidate wants, but what they need. This level of engagement supports the notion that in the future the job of a recruiter is more human. It is this part that will become essential and (nearly) impossible for technology to take over.” — Sanne Del
“Reliability. Candidates want to know that they’re not going to just go through a resume mill. They want to be treated like human beings. Show them that you treat your candidates as well as your clients and you’ll go far in the staffing world.” — Matt Brosseau
“The quality and quantity of jobs available is hugely important. Communicating the jobs you have available is critical to attracting candidates—either through job postings, email/social media campaigns or word of mouth. If you’re known to have a good client base, you will attract more candidates.” — Marnie Pertsinidis
Want to learn about the challenges, opportunities, and ideas that will shape the staffing industry in the year ahead? Explore top staffing trends at the Global Recruitment Insights and Data site.
