Talent Acquisition, here’s how to attract talent over the summer period…
Summer is one of the hottest periods for candidate attraction.
While it may seem that everything slows down as everyone goes on holiday and enjoys the sun, it’s important to know how to take advantage of the slow period. Summer is actually one of the best times of year for attracting talent.
Why, you ask?
- With recruiters taking time away from their desk, you will find that there are fewer job ads and InMails sent over the summer period.
- School’s out for summer, so many school leavers and graduates will be on the market and actively searching for junior positions over the summer holidays.
- People are active online and scrolling whilst they lie on the beach, with social media traffic spiking at 73% during the summer.
Let’s capitalise on this…
Focus on Your Ads
Job boards are always flooded with job adverts vying for candidates’ attention, leaving many recruiters and hiring managers trying to stand out from the crowd.
Wouldn’t it be so much easier if there was less competition?
Well, there’s very little of it over the summer months as recruiters take more time away from their desks.
Make yourself an exception to the rule and take the time as an opportunity to snatch up some cracking candidates that’ll have been missed by the masses.
With this in mind, it’s super important to make sure you don’t become complacent. Your ads should be as relevant to the current market as possible, while still correctly optimised.
Following the Great Resignation, candidate expectations from a new role have been seriously sharpened, putting company pay, culture and workplace flexibility under scrutiny.
Matching these expectations and showing them off on job boards over the summer should be a priority.
Invest in Employer Branding
As everyone relaxes in the sunny rays, you might expect a social media slump – but many will still be scrolling their social media feeds (especially in the rainy downtime we can expect from a British summer).
Making use of this activity will only benefit you.
Invest in your employer branding across the right channels. Whilst many keep their employer branding on LinkedIn, consider sharing more career-focused content across leisure channels in the summer months, such as Instagram and TikTok.
Thinking back to that amazing graduate talent pool, Gen Z spends a huge amount of their time on social channels
So, make this summer one where you take your employer branding to new heights.
Looking for inspiration? Innocent has done a great job of spreading their employer message across channels. We highly recommend checking out their Instagram.
Be Prepared
Preparing your process for summer applicants is a good idea.
If you’re going to prioritise hiring in the summer months, you’ll want to take the opportunity to streamline the process. Make sure that the application process is simple and won’t take too much effort or time away from candidates’ holidays.
And remember, prospective candidates won’t be the only ones taking time away over the summer months.
Your team is going to be the first line of communication between your business and these individuals, so it’s essential that you have people ready to respond to applications.
Make sure that logistics are taken care of so that when members of your team are away the business is still able to make hires and onboard on new talent.
Summer hiring is ultimately about getting the most out of a highly underestimated hiring period for your company while also allowing your team to get the most out of their summer.
Striking a balance between these two areas should allow you to keep a steady balance that will put you ahead of the competition.
Want to know more about how to stay ahead of the game? Get in touch via sayhello@talentlab.uk or visit www.talentlab.uk to find out more.
