7 Recruitment Challenges Every Company Will Face in 2022

Recruiters face many challenges that have the potential to leave them screaming into their pillows at night. To help you avoid this, here are the common recruitment challenges every company will face in 2022, along with tips on how to overcome them.

1. Attracting Good Candidates

Just like finding a fine wine to pair with a Saturday afternoon grazing plate, attracting top talent can be tricky and takes a little intricacy.

When it comes to recruiting, attracting good candidates is one of the biggest (and most stressful) challenges you will face. Because without good talent, how are you going to grow your business the way you want? 

Tip: When writing a job ad, ask yourself ‘what benefit is this brining the candidate?’ and include those details at the top. We tend to get caught up talking about the features of the company, but no one cares about how many awards you’ve won.

Use ‘you’ and ‘your’ more than ‘we’.
I.e., “You’re a natural negotiator and this role will have you involved every step of the way”. Try it.

2. Hiring Fast

No one will blame you for wanting to get talent through the door quickly, especially not the candidate, who’ll also be rooting for this. Yet, despite this, it can take companies many months to make a hire. But why? 

Well, there are several reasons why this could be, such as a shortage of candidates, too long reaching a consensus that the candidate goes elsewhere or a ridiculously long hiring process. 

Tip #1: Look at your hiring process: Are all the stages necessary? Are you looking in the right places for your candidates? Are you responsive when a candidate enquires about the position? These are all questions to ask that will help streamline your process.

3. Engaging Qualified Candidates

The better you are at your job, the more people want you. Qualified candidates will be surrounded by recruiters, like fans around a frontman in a crowded gig. Not only does this make it tougher for you to get their attention, but trickier to keep them engaged, too. 

Tip: It’s all about research. Before contacting a passive candidate, research what motivates them, their passions — and give them exactly that. Personalise an email and highlight all the things you can offer them. Think less about you, and more about them.

4. Building a Strong Employer Brand

If your company’s Google listing features more 1 star reviews than Nicholas Cage’s IMDb profile, chances are you’ll struggle to attract and engage top talent.

Studies show that 69% of candidates will avoid a company if it has a bad reputation. And candidates will read six company reviews before deciding whether to go through a job application. So it’s worthwhile having a strong online presence. 

Tip: Remember when your boss asked you to reply to all your online reviews? Well, now’s the time to start doing it. Also, chat to your marketing team about how you can start using social proof online and how you can showcase what it’s really like to work at your company.

5. Using Data to your Advantage

As complex and as stressful as it is at times, using data when recruiting can help you snap up the best talent. Unlike using spreadsheets, which require tons of manual work and are prone to human error, recruitment software makes it easy for you to organise and compile data in an efficient way. 

Tip: Using systems like ATS or Google Analytics, you can store and export reports and track key recruitment metrics that matter to you and your business.

6. Recruiting Fairly

There are no two ways about it, companies have to recruit fairly, meaning employing people of different cultures, backgrounds and genders. The benefits of having a diverse workplace outweigh any old fashioned stereotypes ten times over, and it’s not just about brand reputation or some lofty social goal of ‘inclusion’, either. 

A diverse workplace is not only a creative and productive one but also one that makes people feel included, no matter who they are or where they come from.  

Tip: Use objective hiring techniques like structured interviews and ‘blind’ hiring software, and ensure your panel of interviewers bring a wide range of unique perspectives.

7. Giving Candidates a Good Experience

Think back to a time when you were treated so well, you got that warm, fuzzy, butterfly feeling inside. I bet that moment sticks in your mind and makes you feel good when you think about it, right? This is how you need to make your best candidates feel. 

The way you treat your candidates should mirror how you treat your employees. Doing so will not only give your brand a good reputation, but if the candidate is considering several offers, it might push your company to the top of their list. 

Tip: There’s nothing worse than leaving a candidate hanging, so always tell them when they can expect to hear a response. And if you’re scheduling an interview, give them all the info they need (like who to ask for, what they need to bring) and explain what they should expect from the interview. And lastly, be nice.