Missing out in March: reasons why top talent might be going elsewhere...

Struggling to fill vacancies in your agency? Not sure why? As executive search consultants, we continuously see industry leading talent pull-out of processes or turn down offers from big names in the healthcare communications sector. This can be for a number of reasons that often go unrecognized by clients, leading them to miss out on the perfect candidate for the role. We've comprised a selection of reasons as to why you may be missing out on top industry talent, and how best to address these issues.

Feedback speed

Whilst we know that often internal scheduling demands can impact the efficiency of the interview process, candidates kept out of the loop for too long can see a slow-moving process as a negative indicator for wider company practice. Indeed, desirable candidates who pull out of the process during final stages are often those who have seen repeated delays with a lack of justification for them.

It's important to remember that if you're really keen on a candidate to "keep them warm", letting them know where they sit in the application process and emphasising your continued interest in their profile.

Culture

Importance of portraying culture at interview and show your company in the best light should not be underestimated. Select a strong, positive and well informed team to interview, and make sure they are well briefed on the candidate pre the interview.

Your brand

Highlighting your individual brand is key to attracting leading industry talent. The best working professionals will be keyed-in to what's going on in the market, and will want to know what makes your company different.

When visiting your website or consuming your promotional materials, talent should be able to get a clear picture of your brand and what matters to you. Whether you're focused on sustainability, inclusivity, growth or much more, you should utilise your website to illustrate your selling points to prospective talent.

Remember: long-lasting, successful placements are about the two-way relationship between a talent and client.

The best ways to showcase who you are as a brand

• Share newsletters or quarterly updates with photos of events, industry awards and charitable initiatives
• Use job adverts effectively when advertising vacancies; include specific requirements for the position (years of experience, degree-level, soft skills, etc) and highlight the challenges/responsibilities associated with the role
• Keep your website up-to-date with the latest news and achievements
• Emphasise what makes you stand out from your competitors across job boards and social media by utilising your marketing to illustrate your latest incentives and schemes

Benefits package

As we return to pre-downturn levels of employment, employees have more options and employers have less, producing a candidate driven market where candidates are once again being made counter offers of up to 20% to stay with their existing employer. Not having a competitive benefits package is a sure-fire way to turn-off top talent from considering your agency. Highly-skilled candidates will likely have other ongoing conversations and processes in which they will be learning about the packages offered by your competitors. In order to continue to standout, follow our formula to ensure that your benefits package remains desirable and competitive in the current market.

• Benchmark: Continuously review and benchmark your salaries against industry salaries
• Incentivise: Consider your financial incentives; most candidates switch for an improvement package of between 10-13%
• Flex: Flexible working options and flexible hours are highly attractive; consider a flexible working package that can be easily adapted for leading talent.

Use the experts

In an industry like healthcare communications, the specialists skills, knowledge and experienced professionals that are needed to fill these vacancies are not as readily available as they might be in other sectors, and as a result it can be difficult to source new talent from a pool which is rarely actively looking for a new opportunity.

At Carys Mills Consulting, we merge the search and recruitment process know-how with insider industry experience to source and precisely select candidates with niche skillsets, from specific therapeutic focuses to extensive experience in a communications format. We work consultatively with our client base to prioritise their job search and continually focus on the best outcome for both client and candidate.

For advice and guidance on how to attract leading industry talent in the healthcare communications sector, reach out to our team today.