Updating Your Candidate Experience, For Success

Hiring Managers – if you had an opportunity to hire a select candidate that you’d been keeping your eye on for a while, what would your pitch be? 

This is your value proposition. Are you ready to tell your story?

You might be thinking, “Wait, I’m the employer. Why do I need a value proposition? People should want to come work for me.” The answer could be the secret to building a successful hiring strategy.

Today’s Ag Employers Need To “Sell Themselves”

Today’s employment market is not what it used to be. Today’s market requires some finesse. We talk with a lot of the industry’s best talent. And by far, we’re hearing a lot more candidates want to be wanted. Rightly so, they want to know more about your position, what’s in it for them, and why they should work for you.

If you feel like this is different from what you’re used to, you’re not mistaken. These aren’t the same people you were hiring 15 years ago. And this is certainly not the same hiring landscape either. 

This is a candidate-driven market.

There are many reasons for this:

  • Baby boomers are retiring at a ratio of 2 to 1 for every new candidate that comes into the labor market.
  • Many people who left the job market last year have simply not returned.
  • Lastly, there are a number of people that are retiring early, at least 3-5 years earlier than expected. 

Why Promote Your Company?

Of the mainstream workers, today’s typical candidate is already fully employed and actively working. (That may be why they’re not readily identifiable as a job seeker.) So even those who may be ready for a change could take some convincing to leave their job. Think of it from their perspective – many will opt to stay with a job they’re not crazy about rather than take a leap into uncertainty.

To be more effective at promoting your company, you need to align your offering with what today’s candidates are looking for. Here are five of the top items we’re finding today’s candidates are looking for in their employer. 

  1. Candidates are not very willing to relocate. There are a number of reasons, but among the biggest is the cost of housing and rent in other markets. That is if housing can be found at all. Some regions simply don’t have available housing. Additionally, many candidates have to factor in the costs of relocating extended family members as well.
  2. Many candidates are not happy with their current boss or company. This can be due to some recent promotions, reporting structure changes, or recent company policies that are not agreeable. Positioning yourself as a better employer could score you big points. Especially as an employer who is doing everything they can to retain current employees.
  3. Candidates are looking for companies with a lot of “buzz:” those companies that are growing and going places. And many candidates are doing their homework. They’re technologically savvy and know where to find ratings on companies they are considering. Even companies with less than favorable reviews could be seen as proactive and dedicated to resolving issues by responding helpfully to negative feedback.
  4. Many candidates are highly interested in working remotely, working from home, or a “hybrid” concept.
  5. Candidates are responding to companies that have a timely and efficient hiring process. They keep the process moving quickly and are communicative to the overall process as well as next steps.

You don’t have to check every box. But if you are having difficulty finding candidates, the chances are, one or more of these points could use your attention. Of all these points, perhaps the most important of all is delivering an exceptional candidate experience in your interviewing and hiring process.

Delivering An Exceptional Candidate Experience

Today’s candidates have a wealth of information at their fingertips. There is no shortage of online resources and social networks in which candidates can research almost anything about your company.

That’s a good thing. It shows interest in your company. It demonstrates they are thoughtful in considering their next option, rather than rushing to the first offer. 

But the expectation is that, by now, companies should have recognized the importance of a great candidate experience. That is also a good thing. By ensuring your hiring process keeps candidates well informed and moving through the process quickly you are demonstrating the same thoughtfulness and consideration they are. 

You are meeting each other in the middle. And that is a great place to start a new relationship. 

Hiring Managers, Take Note

For a hiring manager, all of this means ensuring your response time to candidates is prompt and informative. The longer it takes to get a reply from your company, the less interested the candidate will assume you are.

Further, while candidates have a wealth of resources to learn more about your company, perhaps the most useful of these can’t be found online, but in their experience. Many candidates could rightly assume your interviewing process is a peek behind the scenes to your company. A bad experience might indicate a bad work environment and could turn them off.

Today’s candidates expect to have frequent feedback and solid communication to the next steps in your interviewing process.

How To Hire The Best Talent In Agriculture

The landscape for hiring talent in Agriculture is not what it used to be. Today, an ideal candidate could be considering as many as three or four job offers. The company that knows how to effectively promote their company and provide the best candidate experience, will be much more successful in getting (and keeping) their attention.

We get it – it’s essential that your company needs a deliberate and thorough hiring screening and hiring process. But that is not incompatible with an expedited process that focuses on providing a great candidate experience.

The fact is, the hiring landscape has leveled. Today’s candidates need more. Today’s top candidates deserve more. And we can help!

If you want to find and hire the best executive and C-Suite candidates in Agriculture, contact Ag 1 Source today.