Must have previous experience. Apply with CV

Is your business struggling with recruitment? Are you finding it difficult to find the right people to fill vacancies? Or find any people at all!

A lot of businesses in the UK are finding filling vacancies difficult at the moment due to a number of reasons including:?

??It is estimated 500,000 people left the job market in the pandemic.

??The exodus of EU nationals due to the UK leaving the EU.

??A rise in the national minimum wage rate.

??A lack of skills.

Make your business more attractive to work for.

Read my blog on five things you can do to make your business an attractive place to work and fill your vacancies.

1)?????Do it differently

Here’s a traditional recruitment process - advertise a job , apply with a CV. Inundated with CVs (some ?entirely unsuitable), spend hours sifting CVs and interviewing.

In a buyers (or job seekers) market businesses will have to do things differently.

Why not invite people in small groups to visit your business. You can assess them, they get a feel for your business and what you do., what’s it’s like to work there. Maybe introduce them to a recent new starter. Its also better for your reputation and much better than old ways such as ” If we do not contact you within four weeks please assume you were unsuccessful”.

Do you give feedback to unsuccessful applicants or just say “ there was some one better suited”.

2)?????Previous experience doesn’t guarantee future success

How many times do you see an advert that says must have previous experience and apply with a CV.

Fair enough, in some jobs you do need previous experience, but in others is it really essential? I would challenge you need it for many . For example in retail and hospitality jobs, I would rather have someone who is good with people , hardworking and enthusiastic and teach them how to take payments and other things they need to know.

Are you excluding certain sections of the community?

3)?????Don’t blame others

Employers can and will have to ?do more than they used to. ?

Do you make it easier for school-leavers. Why do we expect them to leave school one day and then travel to work and work until five pm the next . Just because that’s the way it used to be. How about adding some flexibility in so they can adjust.

Do you ?engage with your local schools and colleges? Do you offer work placements. Or are you too busy or find it too onerous.

Are you excluding certain sections of the community?

4)?????What’s the pay like ?

The rise in national minimum wage rates means you’re not just competing with your competition. For some industries, people can work in (arguably) cleaner , easier jobs now and receive the same money.

Have you checked your wage rates ? Not only for internal parity but also your competitors and other businesses in your area?

5)?????Change your language?

Are your adverts and jo descriptions easy to read? it’s estimated that 16.4% of adults in England, or 7.1 million people, can be described as having 'very poor literacy skills.'

Ok for legal reasons some things need to be written in a certain way but is the job description relevant and easy to read? More than once I have read a job description and thought I can’t do that (and it was my job!).

Can you use less words, include graphics, use video? People have much shorter attention spans nowadays.

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Finally,?remember its not all about the money….

Useful resources

CBP-8898.pdf (parliament.uk)

Adult literacy | National Literacy Trust

?Also, check out the Plain English Campaign