The primary purpose of recruitment is to attract and encourage qualified applicants. But how do you ensure you don’t lose out on top talent when chances are candidates are juggling multiple offers or holding out for just the right one? Having worked in the oil and gas, energy, process industries, manufacturing, and power and utility markets for more than 20 years, our recruiters share some must-have recruiting tips for hiring top talent.
#1 Efficient hiring process
Before you launch your next staffing search, implementing systems to move through the hiring process efficiently is essential. According to a Glassdoor Economic Research report, the average hiring process in the U.S. takes 23 days. At the same time, the energy market, on average, takes 28.8 days. Make a hiring decision promptly, so the candidate doesn’t move on to other opportunities.
Update job descriptions to ensure accuracy and use keywords for which a potential candidate will most likely be searching. If multiple decision-makers are involved, check to see if they will be available throughout the process because chances are the right applicant will be looking to make a decision quickly. There is nothing more frustrating to a candidate than having to wait until a stakeholder gets home from vacation or a conference to find out where they stand.
Keep in mind that when a candidate submits a resume to the time it takes to review, interview, and assess, you could be looking at weeks before you make an offer. Typically, the more technical the field of work, the longer it takes to hire.
#2 Communicate with recruiters
Your recruiter is your lifeline to the staffing talent pool, so staying in touch is essential. Tell them if the candidates they send are not up to par and why you need to tweak the job description to make a more accurate match or how you are doing in the decision-making process. The advantage of working with a recruiter is they can handle the legwork and remove some of the stress from the hiring process. The only way to have a genuinely effective partnership is to have frank conversations and keep a steady conversation stream.
Lead technical recruiter Saroem Soem advises people don’t realize how much a recruiter can help them find jobs and put them in favorable situations where they can succeed. A good recruiter puts themselves in the candidate’s shoes to ensure the best job environment. Alternatively, all job seekers must be seen as real people who deserve a work-life balance and be given opportunities where they can succeed, according to Soem.
#3 Seek out passive candidates
With unemployment at record lows, the people you want to hire are already working for someone else. According to LinkedIn, 70% of the global workforce is made up of passive talent. You may feel uncomfortable “poaching” employees or not know where to look to find people with the specific skills you need. However, your recruiter can reach out to “passive” energy candidates and know where to find them. Recruiters spend years building up a network of contacts because they know many candidates can be placed more than once throughout their careers. Often, today’s job seeker is tomorrow’s hiring manager.
It’s in a recruiter’s best interest to stay in touch, especially since 94 % of candidates say being contacted by their prospective manager can make them accept a job offer faster. Doing so gives you an advantage when job postings are going unanswered or attracting the wrong people.
At the FootBridge Company, our experienced recruiters specialize in acquiring top talent. Trust them to guide the process; they will help you remain ahead of the competition and avoid hiring mistakes. Contact us today to learn more about our energy staffing solutions.