Unemployment is at its lowest level since 2008 yet employers are still making simple mistakes that stop them from standing out – that’s the claim from one industry figure who says companies risk falling behind if they don’t ramp up their efforts.
“The most common job posting mistake or missed opportunity that we see is companies not marketing themselves to potential employees,” says Dianne Hunnam-Jones, a district director with Robert Half.
“We are very much in a candidates’ market right now so you’re competing for talent and you’ve got to market your brand and your company to potential employees,” she continues.
Hunnam-Jones’s comments come in the wake of a recent survey which found that 57 per cent of Canadian firms feel only somewhat effective at positioning their business as a great place to work.
“When you think about the options that candidate will have out there, you have got to be able to stand out as a company of choice which is a great place to work,” she tells HRM. “That’s why it’s absolutely important to have some form of employer branding.”
While employer branding initiatives can be costly and comprehensive, Hunnam-Jones says they can also be simple, straight forward and – in some cases – entirely free.
“How do you present the culture of your company? You tell them,” says Hunnam-Jones. “Tell them you’re team orientated, you’re flexible, you’re open, you want two-way communication.”
Hunnam-Jones says all too often a job ad will focus solely on what the candidates should be or must have which means employers are missing out on an opportunity to sell themselves.
“Some job postings are all about what the candidate has to have – you must be this, this, this and this – but there’s nothing about what the company is like or what it’s going to offer in return,” she tells HRM.
Source: hrmonline.ca
