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Top recruitment resolutions for 2021

Hiring

2020-12-30

Confido

5 minutes

As we prepare to wave a (not so fond) farewell to 2020, we’re looking ahead to what 2021 has in store. Lots of us will be making resolutions come January, whether that’s Veganuary, Dry January, or just putting more time aside for yourself.  

At Confido, we’re pondering what 2021 will look like for us. Of course, our focus will be helping more Tech for Good startups grow their teams so they can focus on the big stuff. With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of recruitment resolutions that work for startups big and small.  

Here’s how to make sure your recruitment plans are on point for 2021:   

 

Ask yourself: are my hiring processes working? 

A whopping 63% of job seekers are likely to reject a job offer because of a bad candidate experience. So, even after you’ve put in all the effort of finding that perfect candidate, they could still turn you down if your process hasn’t been smooth.  

Evaluate your interview process from start to finish. Is it too long, or too short? Too complex? It might be time to go back to the drawing board, but that’s okay. 60% of job seekers quit in the middle of filling out online applications if they’re too long, so getting your process right is essential.  

Hiring someone should be a reciprocal process, you want to see the same amount of effort from both sides. Striking the right balance of attraction and assessment is keyYou need to do enough to attract potential candidates, whilst also assessing how suitable they are for the role. Well-known companies won’t have as much work to do on the attraction side. If you’re a smaller business, think about what makes you unique. What can you give candidates that they can’t get elsewhere? 

 

Focus on feedback 

Poor or no feedback is one of the biggest gripes about recruitment, so let’s break that cycle. At Confido, any candidate we put forward receives detailed feedback regardless of the outcome. It’s a simple and easy way to set your company apart and takes little effort. It’s also one of the most important things you can do to provide a good candidate experience. 

You can use feedback as a tool to help turn unsuccessful candidates into brand advocates. Talent Board’s research has found that 81% of candidates will share their positive candidate experience with family, friends and peers, encouraging them to apply for your company’s open positions. 

Talent titan Patty McCord, co-creator of the Netflix Culture Deck, states that companies that “fostered honest feedback and had more open communication” had a 270% better return on investment over a 10-year period than those that did not. This needs to start from that very first point of contact.  

 

Build your employer branding  

Hiring Tech or Product experts at an early-stage startup is tough when you have little to no reputation to rely on. Gaining people’s trust is half the battle. Make sure you have enough content out there, on your website and social media, so people can really get to know you.  

According to LinkedIn, 75% of people consider an employer’s brand before they even apply for a role. Potential candidates want a window into what it would be like to work for you. Give them what they want by encouraging team members to write blog posts about internal culture, or what makes you different as a business.  

Ex-CTO Karl Hughes has penned a brilliant article on just that, stating that writing is ‘one of the most impactful’ channels for employer branding. Read more on his strategy for building a talent pipelinehere 

Solid employer branding has also been proven to reduce turnover by 28% and half your cost-per-hire. 

 

Dedicate time to your diversity and inclusion policies 

One of the many benefits of having a diverse team is that it helps attract and retain top talent. 67% of job seekers said a diverse workforce is important when considering job offers. Evaluate how culturally diverse your team is and what you can do to improve your inclusivity. 

Listening to your team here is crucial. Run an anonymous survey to find out how inclusive they think the business currently is and what could be improved. Work on fostering a community where every voice is heard and respected. One of the ways you can do this is by opening dialogues on topics like gender pay inequality.  

Actions speak louder than words, so make sure you have rock-solid diversity and inclusion policies in place. Even better, publish a yearly report on the current state of your diversity and inclusion, plus your goals for the year ahead. This shows your transparency and accountability. Here’s a great example from budgeting app Cleo.  

Enriching your employee pool with people of different genders, ethnicity and backgrounds helps keep your company’s culture fresh, too. We talk about this in more detail in our blog post on keeping you company’s culture fresh 

 

Think about your stance on remote working  

To WFH or to not WFH, that is the question. While it’s not something we have much say in at the moment, is having a completely remote team something you’d consider long term? If so, how can you optimise this experience for new starters and the team as a whole? 

There is lots to love about working from home. For one there’s no stressful commute, saving you money and time. In fact, workers who would usually be in an office right now are saving an average of £44 per week by cutting out things like commuting and buying fancy lunches.  

 You can enjoy a more flexible schedule, too, which helps promote a positive work-life balance. And it’s not just good news for employees, many employers have seen a boost in productivity, too. 83% of workers said they don’t need an office to be productive, with 65% stating they would actually be more productive in a home office.  

With remote working proving to be (generally) a success, companies will be expected to offer remote or flexible working as the new standard. Advocating this can help give you a competitive edge when attracting new hires, so be sure to consider your position carefully.  

 

Looking to make new Tech and Product hires in 2021? Want to work on your diversity and inclusion policies but aren’t sure where to start? We can help. 

Do get in touch at contact@confidotalent.com if you’d like to have a chat about how we can scale your Tech for Good startup.  

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