According to a report from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 68 percent of HR professionals are experiencing difficulty recruiting candidates for full-time positions. While some are having trouble finding skilled workers, another common issue is figuring out how to adequately promote what the company has to offer. If candidates do not know your company is a great place to work, they’ll take a job offer from another company that is effectively promoting its benefits package.
Organizations should intentionally build activities in their recruiting and branding efforts that talk about benefits. It’s not about giving employees a full-blown, detailed explanation. That can happen at a later time – during orientation and onboarding. But there are ways to let candidates know about your company’s culture and benefits package more subtly. Here are five of them:
1. Social media
Ninety-one percent (91%) of employers are using social media to hire talent today. Your social recruiting strategy should not only include posting job openings. There’s also value in sharing pictures of employee events, information about benefits and training opportunities, and articles about giving back to the community.
2. Career website
Companies that use career portals or applicant tracking systems can add information about the organization, including benefits. In addition, consider adding a “follow us” section with links to your company’s social media account. Candidates will now be able to learn more about the company in several different places.
3. Job interviews
For years, it’s been taboo to discuss pay and benefits information during interviews. As the job market becomes more candidate-driven, you might want to consider taking a few moments to share information upfront. It could get candidates more interested in your organization. And it could save candidates from wasting time applying for jobs that don’t meet their requirements.
4. Work environment
When candidates come to your location for an interview, what will they see? Are company perks – like free food in the employee breakroom – on display? Will they see employees using treadmill desks and exercise bikes? Also, don’t forget about current employees. Benefit posters remind current employees about their benefit options.
5. Offer letters
While the offer letter serves a formal purpose and does have some legalities associated with it, that doesn’t mean it can’t be used to educate your newest employees about the benefits that will be available to them (and when they go into effect.) It can also tie into your company culture and reinforce that all the things candidates were exposed to during the interview process are the real deal.
Today’s recruiting market is simply too competitive not to leverage your company’s culture and benefits throughout the process. When organizations have terrific benefits, they need to make sure candidates consider them as part of their decision process. And that starts before they apply.