LinkedIn-The labour shortage has forced both large and small businesses to come up with new and inventive ways to attract workers.
In the third quarter of 2021, half of small company owners were questioned. According to a CNBC | Momentive Small Business Survey, finding competent employees to hire is more difficult than it was a year ago. Only slightly more than a third of respondents, or 31%, report they have open positions that have been unfilled for at least three months, up from 24% last quarter and 16% in Q1 2020.
While there are hints that the labour crisis is easing — hiring increased at its strongest rate in nearly a year in July – new data reveals that there are one million more jobs available than those looking for them. According to the Labor Department, there are more than 10 million job opportunities in total, the greatest amount on record.
The inability to hire the necessary personnel is affecting organisations where it matters most: revenue potential. The National Federation of Independent Businesses is experiencing lost sales among its member companies as a result of the labour crisis, according to Holly Wade, NFIB executive director of research, who spoke at the CNBC Small Business Playbook event on Wednesday.
The largest corporations are increasingly seeking for ways to differentiate themselves from the competition in the labour market. Employee pay at Chipotle Mexican Grill and McDonald’s has been increased, while tuition reimbursement programmes at Target and Walmart have been expanded to help employees pay for higher education.
Small business owners may not be able to compete on salary and perks with giant organisations with vast pockets, but they can succeed in the labour market by using digital platforms like LinkedIn to interact with job seekers.
According to talent experts who spoke at the CNBC Small Business Playbook event, these are three crucial methods for standing out in the quest for staff.
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1. Don’t limit yourself to simply posting a position.
According to LinkedIn vice president of product Gyanda Sachdeva, having a digital presence and a strong brand is crucial for businesses not only to attract customers but also to recruit talent.
According to LinkedIn statistics, job seekers engage with a potential employer’s brand for months before applying for a position, according to Sachdeva.
“It’s critical that you create a digital presence page and utilise it to reflect your values, purpose, and social mission, as well as give job seekers a taste of what it’s like to work at your firm,” Sachdeva said.
In the midst of a tight labour market, job seekers are digging deeper into firms to determine if they’re a good fit, placing company culture even more front and centre as a possible draw.
“It’s a terrific asset to talk about and explain if you have a corporate culture that separates out from peers and other competitors,” Sachdeva added. “As consumers begin to understand your organisation as more than a brand, they become more aware of thought leaders and the people who keep the company afloat.”
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2. Emphasize the appropriate individuals
While having a digital presence is essential for a business, sending the appropriate message is equally crucial.
According to Nina Vaca, Chairman & CEO of Pinnacle Group, businesses should utilise social media to “convey not what you believe people want to hear, but what your true beliefs are.”
As a result, Vaca believes that the messaging should extend beyond the CEO, allowing other employees to speak up and share their stories.
“No one speaks louder than your present employees and how they feel about working for you,” Vaca added. “It’s critical to be upfront about your principles since you’re recruiting people to work for your company – recruiting is, at its core, about matching the right people with the right opportunity.”
3. Create a collaborative environment
While simply having a LinkedIn profile is beneficial, turning that page into a community hub can help a company rise even higher.
The community, according to Sachdeva, could be centred on present or prospective customers, current or future staff, or both.
Being active on the platform and having people engage is the simplest approach to begin building that community.
For example, RTC Road and Traffic Engineering, a 44-person civil engineering firm based in Dubai, created a LinkedIn post listing all of its current job positions and encouraging followers to apply and share with others. According to Sachdeva, the post generated over 1,400 replies and 1,000 comments.
“With just one post, they were able to raise their brand awareness as well as get a lot of people raising their hands and expressing interest in collaborating with them,” she explained.
According to Sachdeva, another company that focuses on developing product management training resources held their full annual conference on LinkedIn Live. During the live session, the 16-person company received over 1,000 comments as a result of this.
“They all wanted to learn more,” Sachdeva said, “hoping to become future customers and some folks becoming future employees.”
4. Be open about your plans to work from home.
There is no hotter topic for potential employees than what a company has in store for them in terms of working from home, hybrid accommodations, or returning to the office. Businesses should take advantage of this chance to be open and transparent about their objectives, according to Sachdeva.
“It’s actually a conversation that people want to have,” she said. “If your organisation has a policy around this, it’s worth discussing and talking about so people can join in and provide their input.” “It’s no longer a background conversation, and I’d strongly advise that it be addressed in job listings on the corporate page, as well as having the CEO speak about it.”
5. Contact hiring managers and recruiters directly.
Contacting influential entrepreneurs is becoming increasingly harder, says Bob Bentz, president of Purplegator, a mobile marketing agency and a LinkedIn super user, thanks to caller ID and crowded email inboxes. “LinkedIn is a job seeker’s best buddy since it skips gatekeepers—important executives’ guard dogs,” he explains. According to InMail, “LinkedIn is probably the only location where you can get a message directly to the person performing the recruiting.”
“I propose sending a LinkedIn message on Sunday,” Bentz says on composing your InMail. C-level executives typically spend Sunday night planning for the coming week, and one of the things they do is check their LinkedIn page. The fact that you’re working on a Sunday will impress them. It’s critical that your first message simply introduces you and isn’t overbearing. You want the executive to check out your LinkedIn profile and remember who you are. In your communication, try to identify some common ground. Mention the folks you encountered during the interview or screening process and express your admiration for their charisma and professionalism. This is not the time to make a job application. That will be addressed later.”
