How to turn The Great Resignation into a great recruitment strategy

The Great Resignation is hitting Australia with multiple studies showing that approximately 40% of Aussies are at least open to new roles.

While this carries significant challenges for employee retention, it also carries significant opportunities for employee recruitment.

More people are at least entertaining the possibility of changing jobs than at any other time in history — including top talent. Candidates who are typically hard to pry away from their current job and are rarely (if ever) on Seek may now spot your job opportunity and be open to your approach.

Unfortunately, despite this rare access to unicorn candidates, competition is still fierce.

It’s estimated Australia needs between half a million and a million skilled workers to address our current labour shortage. Opening the borders isn’t going to be a magical solution, so short of human cloning, the only way Australian businesses can handle this crisis is to stand out from the crowd — especially since many in-demand candidates are looking for non-traditional work arrangements.

With these few simple tips you can turn The Great Resignation into a great recruitment strategy.

How to turn The Great Resignation into a great recruitment strategy

1. Make your job ads compelling and use video

   Most companies wouldn’t think of writing their own marketing copy to attract new customers. Yet, when it comes to attracting employees — a resource in far more demand than customers — they write their own job ads and typically follow an antiquated format that can be uninspiring at best and off-putting at worst.

   Instead, businesses should engage an internal or external marketing expert to help write copy that is directed at your ideal candidate and is evocative and compelling.

   Along with copy, it’s time to utilise both video and graphics. Personalise your ads and get people excited about the prospect of working for you and no one else.

2. Advertise your employee value proposition

   The employee value proposition (EVP) is more important now than ever. Why do people want to work for your company? What truly sets you apart?

   Conduct insights interviews or online surveys with your best performers and team members who fit in well with your culture. Find out what keeps them in their job. Ask them what you offer that’s truly unique — what is their experience compared to their peers and friends?

   Keep up with the research around the reasons people are quitting during The Great Resignation and shape your EVP to articulate those things that you offer that they want, and then include your updated EVP in your job ads.

3. Provide the best experience through the hiring process

   Traditional hiring processes were designed for a market with many more candidates than job openings. That means now, many companies still treat candidates as though they are doing them a favour by interviewing them — but that’s not the case. Such a process is opaque and cumbersome, and candidates are made to feel unimportant through lack of follow through, disingenuous feedback and sparse communication.

   Candidates talk and, in order to attract the best candidates, companies need to provide an exceptional recruitment experience. Make it easy, make it fast and make it fun.

   Whatever you do, get back to all candidates — successful or not — with honest feedback and something they can take away to help them in their next application process. They will recommend their friends even when they themselves are unsuccessful because their experience was so positive.

4. Expand your candidate pool

   Think differently about how to fill roles. The old paradigm of one job for one person is quickly disappearing. Instead think about the tasks that need to be done like a jigsaw puzzle. Which pieces of the puzzle can be automated? Which pieces can be done by someone overseas? Which can be done by someone with the right skills, but no experience in your industry?

   For example, an engineering firm in Sydney hires professional report writers to write engineering reports. This frees up the engineers’ time to do design work — work they really want to do, making the role more attractive.

   Doing this within your own business can also lead to offering your staff career options and opportunities that would not normally be available in their field.

Many candidates are now looking at non-traditional work arrangements such as 100% remote work, part-time or job share arrangements, or the opportunity to take a step back and accept a role with less responsibility and stress.

You can significantly broaden your candidate pool and gain access to top talent by entertaining these alternative work arrangements and promoting them within your recruitment strategy. None of these tips are difficult to implement, as long as you are willing to think differently about how you’ve done things before.

These simple tips will help you compete for top talent — the rarest commodity of all in our post-COVID world.