LinkedIn just released its 2015 Talent Trends report, compiling responses from more than 1,600 professionals in the US and Canada. Their findings show the rising importance of employer branding, candidate care, and social media recruiting.
Competition is increasing in unusual ways
Only 30% of the workforce in the two countries is considered active talent. That’s actually up from last year, when 25% were active talent. Is the war for talent easing? Not at all. The LinkedIn study finds that active searchers aren’t necessarily unhappy with their jobs — nearly half said they were satisfied, while 20% said they were neither satisfied nor unsatisfied.
Even more fascinating, both active and passive talent are participating in professional development opportunities, “with one eye open for their next opportunity,” as LinkedIn puts it. These includes researching jobs, researching companies, networking, and updating résumés. 45% of all American and Canadian workers are doing this, even though only 30% are actively looking for a job.
What this means for you: Unemployment is decreasing (from 6.1% last August to 5.1% this past month) and even happy workers are on the hunt for better opportunities. That means now is the time for more targeted recruiting and a stronger employer brand to reach new talent, as well as employee engagement initiatives to retain your best talent.
Workers rely on friends and colleagues to find new opportunities
LinkedIn’s survey found that 65% of workers turn to their personal and professional networks for company referrals and recommendations. 62% looked for opportunities on online job boards, while 61% checked “social professional networks” (LinkedIn’s generic term for itself). Only 54% visited company websites and just 31% used search engines.
What about social media apart from LinkedIn? Jobvite’s 2015 Job-Seeker Nation survey fills in the blanks: 67% of job-seekers use Facebook in their job search, and 45% use Twitter. Only 40% actually use LinkedIn. When it comes to professionals making more than $75,000, the Twitter percentage jumped to 54%. Millennials add Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat to their research as well.
What this means for you: Social media is now officially as important as job boards when it comes to recruiting, so you need both a presence on and a strategy for social talent acquisition. Once again, employer branding comes into play, as workers’ most trusted resource is their circle of friends and colleagues. What they hear about your brand, from social media posts and Glassdoor reviews and LinkedIn company pages, affects what they tell their job-seeking friends. Online job boards are becoming less important, so perhaps it’s time re-allocate funds from your careers site to your social media channels.
Candidate care is a major factor
The LinkedIn findings are loud and clear: 83% of global talent say a negative interview experience can change their mind about a role or a company they once liked. 77% say the interview is extremely or very important in making their final decision to accept or reject an offer. After the interview, 49% want to hear from the company periodically, even if there’s no update.
Post-interview feedback is even more influential to job-seekers. 94% of those surveyed want feedback, and those that receive it are four times as likely to consider the company for a future opportunity. Yet only 41% of respondents say they’ve received feedback in any form.
What this means for you: Candidate care can be a powerful differentiator for your organization. It can reinforce your employer brand and show off your culture — which is one of the top three factors in US and Canadian job-seekers’ consideration of a job offer. If you’re keeping candidates waiting in the lobby, not telling them about your culture, and not communicating with them after the interview, you could be alienating your ideal workers. Make candidate experience a valued part of your recruiting and employer branding efforts to stay ahead of your competitors.
Putting it all together
LinkedIn’s survey makes clear that there are three important factors for hiring in the competitive landscape: Employer branding, social media recruiting, and candidate experience. Job-seekers, both active and passive, are searching for companies that engage them online, treat them well during the application process, and have a reputation as an employer of choice. Looking ahead to your 2016 budget, these areas should take focus. They certainly will for your competitors.
Brandemix has worked on successful initiatives in all three fields. If you’d like our expertise in helping you attract top talent, contact us for more information.
Jody Ordioni is President of Brandemix.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jody Ordioni is the author of “The Talent Brand.” In her role as Founder and Chief Brand Officer of Brandemix, she leads the firm in creating brand-aligned talent communications that connect employees to cultures, companies, and business goals. She engages with HR professionals and corporate teams on how to build and promote talent brands, and implement best-practice talent acquisition and engagement strategies across all media and platforms. She has been named a "recruitment thought leader to follow" and her mission is to integrate marketing, human resources, internal communications, and social media to foster a seamless brand experience through the employee lifecycle.
