If you’ve spent hour drafting adverts, jobs specs and descriptions only to be met with a poor response rate for your vacancy then you’ll appreciate just how frustrating it can be. Improving candidate response levels is an art in itself, but what many hiring managers fail to recognise is that the wants and needs of jobseekers is continually evolving.

In light of the current economic situation and the fact that we’re experiencing a period of uncertainty, it’s no real surprise that the recruitment landscape is also changing. Therefore, it’s essential that businesses keep up to date with candidate needs and expectations in order to improve candidate response numbers.

Here’s my top tips on improving candidate response.

Salaries are on the up
According to predictions, most salaries across all sectors are expecting to either maintain or see an increase in salary levels in the next 12 months in an attempt to attract and retain the best quality candidates.

Financial packages that fall short of candidate’s expectations get overlooked amidst the other more competitive offers and as the salary is normally given at the beginning of the advert, many candidates won’t read much further past this point.

Include development opportunities
All employees want to feel that there are opportunities to develop in their roles, it provides a good focus point and way of them to increase their standing and pay within the company. If you have a strong personal development and training programme then make sure you give clear details and hint at the career progression opportunities available.

Understanding demand
The top 5 recruitment sectors for growth this year are predicted to be IT, engineering, construction, gas and energy and accounting and finance – so if you’re looking to fill a role in these sectors then you’ll need to put considerable effort into the package and recruitment strategy to try and engage good quality candidates.

Job Security
As I mentioned before, the UK economy is in a state a flux – and this can make a number of jobseekers very nervous. No-one wants to leave a secure job only to find that they’re given a redundancy package a short time later, so you’ll need to get across the point that your company is financially stable and able to weather any storm in your advert.

For more tips and advice on improving candidate response levels, speak to the team at Appointments on 01782 338787 or email office@appointmentspersonnel.co.uk