Competing for Talent in 2018
by KG Workforce Solutions
Employers are fighting for talent, increasing salaries, and expecting to grow their staff in 2018. According to CareerBuilder’s Annual Forecast for 2018, 44% of employers plan to add permanent staff this year. Additionally, 51% of employers are planning to add temporary (contract) staff to their teams.
With a strong economy, businesses are comfortable investing in additional staff. From a recruiting perspective, this presents some challenges. Unemployment rates are low and employees are looking to make voluntary changes to their employment. This means that attracting candidates is tougher than it has been in the past few years and employers need to be creative in their recruiting. Below are some tips and trends to ensure your business is prepared to compete in this market:
Consider Boomerang Employees
39% of employers plan to rehire previous staff. Hiring a boomerang employee (someone who worked for you in the past and is rehired) can be a great way to snatch good talent quickly. Boomerang employees already know your firm’s culture and you already know their strengths and weaknesses. Don’t shy away from rehiring a past employee but do understand why they left and ensure that obstacle does not still exist.
Have a Recruiting Strategy
You would not invest in a new software without a plan, nor purchase a new office building without significant research and planning. Hiring employees is an investment and is most effective with a well-developed plan. In a competitive market, it is taking longer to fill positions than it has for the past few years. So not only do you need a good plan, but it needs to be a realistic plan based on forecasting, market conditions, and goals.
Competitive Compensation
Salaries are on the rise and it is imperative to be competitive. However, for some firms, increasing salaries is not an option. There are a lot of factors involved in a compensation package, not just salary. If you are not able to increase salaries, focus on the other benefits of working for your firm and gain an understanding of what is important to your target job candidates. Trying to sell your retirement plan to a candidate who is focused on building a savings account to purchase his/her first house, may not the best approach. Could you connect the candidate with a financial advisor to help him/her plan for buying a house? There are endless options that can help you attract and retain good employees, you just have to know what is important to them and get creative.
Respond Quickly
You have to interview and make offers quickly if you want to secure strong employees. Most candidates expect feedback within 48 hours. If you are not making quick decisions and keeping in touch with your candidates, you are probably losing them.
Want to learn more about recruiting trends specific to the legal industry? Let us know what you want to read about and we will try to accommodate your request.
How Long Does it Take to Hire for Legal Jobs?
by KG Workforce Solutions
The job market is changing and hiring legal professionals is getting harder. The average position in a professional services firm, such as a law firm, takes 22.1 business days to fill. An additional two weeks is usually required before the candidate starts working. So, most employers are looking at 5+ weeks as the average job vacancy time.
With unemployment rates low and a tighter job market, employers have to move fast to hire top talent. Below are some tips to help ensure your law firm can snag top talent before your competitors do!
Interview Quickly
Contact qualified candidates within 48 hours to schedule a first interview. Set a goal of no more than two weeks to complete the interview process. Team interviews are on the rise, so scheduling can be a challenge. Develop a plan to overcome the scheduling challenge or you will lose candidates.
Offer Quickly
Making a quick offer after a good interview is essential. Don’t let more than 48 hours pass between the interview and offer. If the candidate is interviewing other places, which most job candidates are, you may lose your perfect candidate.
Offer Competitively
Make sure your compensation package is competitive. Salaries are on the rise and technology has made it easy for candidates to know their market value. If your compensation package is not competitive, both your recruiting and retention will suffer.
Have a Backup
With most law firm jobs taking more than a month to fill, you don’t want to go through that lengthy process multiple times for the same job. Have at least two candidates in the interview process that you feel good about. Many employers interview a candidate they like, then stop the recruiting process until a final decision has been made on that candidate. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket! Until an offer has been made and accepted, keep the recruiting process going!
Hiring Trends for 2018
by KG Workforce Solutions
Recruiting and hiring is much easier in a depressed economy with high unemployment rates. So what are the recruiting and hiring trends in 2018, with a better economy and low unemployment rates?
With low unemployment rates, employers must get creative to find good talent. Simply posting a job and waiting for the ideal candidate to apply, is not the most effective approach in a tight market. So, let’s discuss some of the hiring trends in 2018 that can help employers make great hires quickly.
Focus on Abilities and Culture Fit more than Experience
Yes, all employers want to hire people with experience in their related industry. However, hiring in today’s market is a challenge and many employers are shifting their focus away from experience and towards overall ability and skill. Experience is only one component of a candidate’s skills and it is important to evaluate all of a candidate’s attributes, not just their experience.
Skills and Personality Assessments
The use of skills testing and personality testing are on the rise. These tools enable employers to better gauge aptitude, benchmark against top performers, and assess personality characteristics. These tools can be invaluable in any market, but especially in a market where hiring is more focused on ability and culture, than experience. It is important to select appropriate testing tools and ensure the tools selected meet your goals and anti-discrimination requirements.
Team Interviews
Regardless of market conditions, team interviews can be a great way to evaluate candidates. Team interviews allow candidates to get a better feel for the organization and they allow the organization to better assess the culture fit of candidates. It is important to fully understand the dynamics of team interviews to ensure they are conducted appropriately and effectively. SHRM has provided some great tips with regards to this interview style.
Staying abreast of hiring trends and market changes is necessary to stay competitive. Employees are most organizations’ greatest asset, so flexible, scalable, and modern hiring practices are essential.
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