Employee Recruitment and Retention in 2022

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies have struggled in various ways. Employee recruitment and employee retention are just a few of the issues facing decision-makers across the globe. People are looking for ways to recover from a tumultuous 24-month stretch. Even those that weathered the pandemic relatively well are facing the looming challenge of finding and retaining top industry talent.

The State of Recruitment in 2022

While many factors contribute to the growing problem of employee recruitment and retention, the pandemic and an increasingly broad skills gap are the two most notable culprits. This “skills gap” refers to a disparity between the required abilities necessary to fill vacancies and the prospective employees’ skills.

The Great Resignation

Also known as the Big Quit and the Great Reshuffle, the Great Resignation refers to an ongoing economic trend where employees have voluntarily resigned from their jobs. It began in early 2021, and possible explanations include wage stagnation, long-lasting job dissatisfaction, pandemic safety concerns, and better remote-working possibilities.

This trend may dwindle later in 2022, but turnover is expected to remain elevated – providing talent acquisition professionals opportunities to lure away talent and play a more critical part in retaining it.

Recruitment Strategies

Proactive Engagement

Companies are now finding themselves proactively engaging job candidates as a strategy for employee recruitment. This strategy is often used when filling C-suite executive vacancies but rarely deployed for entry-level hires. Hirers have adopted proactive engagement strategies because of the recent ineffectiveness of passive recruiting.

Those in charge of talent acquisition are now reaching out to applicants early and often during the hiring process – building relationships with candidates to drive them to pursue employment with them instead of competitors. Hiring experts expect this trend to continue as the available talent pool begins to catch up with the demand for skilled labor.

Pre-employment Screening Tools

Pre-employment testing is a standardized method to test the skills and qualifications of job candidates. These tools include:

• Job knowledge tests
• Integrity tests
• Cognitive ability tests
• Personality tests
• Emotional Intelligence tests
• Skills assessment tests
• Physical ability tests

If a candidate meets other criteria, testing well could be the final indication of hiring. However, test scores shouldn’t be the sole decision for hiring or not hiring. The best hiring decisions consider many aspects of a candidate’s personality, behavior, and skills.

Display of Company Values

Values-based employee recruitment prioritizes specific values and beliefs when attracting, hiring, and retaining/promoting individuals. By focusing on specific, well-established core ideas, companies can build a successful team comprised of the “right” people for the job. This recruitment strategy is often found in care, support, and education-oriented settings, but companies in other industries are also starting to adopt its principles.

Recruitment Video Production

When it comes to employee recruitment, creativity plays a key role. According to CareerBuilder, job postings with attention-grabbing videos have a 34% greater application rate. As with many forms of marketing, one of the strongest tools available is quality video production. At Red Crow Marketing, we have discovered video production to be one of the leading tools for successful employee recruitment. We have seen multiple clients utilize this tactic and experience significant results in a short amount of time. From additional application numbers to generating high-quality leads, a well-produced video (or series of videos) placed in the correct markets can make all the difference.

Employee Retention

To avoid high turnover rates and the expenses associated with repeated candidate searches, companies must be able to retain employees successfully. The best way to prevent high turnover rates is to fulfill the promises made during the employee-recruitment stage. That requires implementing the expected culture, treating employees fairly, and listening to their feedback. Other ways to improve employee retention include:

• Provide more positive feedback
• Encourage employees to give you feedback
• Encourage employee creativity
• Foster respect in the workplace
• Allow your employees to grow
• Earn the trust of your employees
• Encourage a healthy work-life balance
• Connect with your team
• Offer a competitive base salary or hourly wage
• Give your employees the tools they need to succeed
• Provide adequate rest periods for your employees

How Red Crow Can Help

Red Crow Marketing has helped many clients avoid the struggles the current market is experiencing. From healthcare to manufacturing and everything in between, we have created strong results that lead to fast, better hires for many of our clients. Contact us today to see what we can do for you!