Here at Lavandi Talent, we’re finding that in the current employment landscape, finding those employees may require a little more work and perhaps a few changes in the way you do things.
Talent is scarce, and demand is high
I doubt there is anyone in the beauty industry who is not aware of the difficulties you can face trying to find new employees right now. As a result of the current employment and skills gap situation, it is getting very competitive when it comes to recruiting talent. Everyone wants the best to either grow their business or just maintain their teams. There is a sort of war of attraction happening where everyone is looking to land the biggest and best in a smaller than usual pool of candidates. In short, if you want the best fish, you need to attract them. Here are a few ideas of how to do that.
Can you train instead?
One of the first actions we recommend is revisiting your ‘must haves’ and ‘desirables’. If you can train someone into the role instead of demanding a particular skill in advance, you could well increase your potential applicants. As a bonus, the training will make your vacancy more attractive to career-minded applicants looking to improve their CVs. Clearly, you cannot change anything that is absolutely required for the role, but if there is anything you can move from a ‘must’ to a desirable will help widen the potential pool.
Is your offer right?
Since the pandemic, we have seen a real change in attitudes towards work-life balance. Flexible working, additional time off, hours to suit, and similar ‘benefits’, are very attractive. A good offer is not always about money. That said, salary does matter, and you need to be at market value as a minimum. Throwing money at salaries to increase applicants is often the first thought. There is some merit in this because, of course, it is more tempting for the candidate but is often offset by other factors, and it rarely generates loyalty. If the only reason an in-demand candidate applies is to make a few pounds more, they will likely accept the next offer that comes along as well. It’s much better to have a combined package that is attractive across the board.
Get a specialist recruitment partner
I know, we would say that, right? The bottom line, though, is that the recruitment industry exists because it offers a service that has value. If you want to recruit effectively in the beauty arena, then having a specialist recruitment partner who understands it just makes sense.
Target candidates as if they were customers and enhance your employer brand
If you approach your employment process with a good pinch of marketing, you could find it pays dividends in volume and/or quality of applications. Candidates are telling us they want to work with companies that align with their values and with whom they see a long-term relationship developing. Your employer brand needs to be honest, open, and clear, so it will attract the people who are aligned with it. Branding and marketing are the lifeblood of any sales process, so bringing them into recruitment should help increase your attractiveness generally and, more importantly, to the right candidates.
Review your process and speed it up where possible
A fast time to hire is one of the most effective tools in ensuring the candidates that do apply for a job accept the role. A few simple changes, such as using video for early interviews, a good ‘keep warm’ pack for applicants, clear job descriptions, the right pre-onboarding information, and so on, will make a big difference. Specifically, look to change or remove anything that slows down the time taken from application to induction. A fast, informative, transparent selection and onboarding process with a big feel-good factor for the candidate is the goal.
There is no doubt that talented teams are the key to a successful business, but in the current candidate-driven market, finding the members of those teams isn’t easy. The beauty industry is a competitive place when it comes to attracting talent, but a specialist recruiter and a few tweaks to your employment process will go a long way to ensuring you get the best.
