{"id":10358,"date":"2022-09-13T09:15:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-13T13:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/?p=10358"},"modified":"2026-02-09T05:56:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T10:56:11","slug":"innovate-win-candidate-driven-job-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/innovate-win-candidate-driven-job-market\/","title":{"rendered":"The great realignment: How to innovate and win in a candidate-driven job market"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/category\/people-leadership\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">People &amp; Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe great realignment: How to innovate and win in a candidate-driven job market\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2022-09-13T09:15:00-04:00\">September 13, 2022<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"The great realignment: How to innovate and win in a candidate-driven job market\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/innovate-win-candidate-driven-job-market\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/author\/jessicafuhl\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/10\/Jess-fuhl.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" height=\"40\" width=\"40\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Jessica Leyshon<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The war for talent has got a whole lot fiercer, thanks to the Great Resignation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Job openings in the US hit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/news.release\/jolts.nr0.htm\">11.5 million, while job quits reached a record 4.4 million<\/a> in April, with a similar story in the UK as vacancies ramped up to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ons.gov.uk\/employmentandlabourmarket\/peopleinwork\/employmentandemployeetypes\/bulletins\/jobsandvacanciesintheuk\/may2022\">record 1.3 million in February to April 2022<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recruitment is at unprecedented levels. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time, the balance of power in recruiting has shifted; in a landscape filled with job vacancies and hybrid working widening opportunities for many, candidates can afford to be choosy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For HR and talent professionals, succeeding in this tough new world of recruitment means being innovative like never before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We spoke to a range of HR leaders and recruiters to understand more about the talent issues companies are facing and how they are tackling them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They shared their four big recruitment challenges and top tips on how to overcome them. We cover them in this article:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#one\">Challenge 1: How to source the right candidates<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#two\">Challenge 2: How to deal with candidates\u2019 evolving needs<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#three\">Challenge 3: How to fast track top talent<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#four\">Challenge 4: How to provide a first-class recruitment and onboarding experience<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#final\">Final thoughts: The key to success? Be the honey pot<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"one\">Challenge 1: How to source the right candidates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not just about finding talent, it\u2019s about finding the right talent\u2014something that\u2019s proving increasingly difficult and costly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That means having to cast the net further, wider, and deeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re anywhere we know the candidate spends their time,\u201d says Chris Morrow, managing director at recruitment agency Digitalent who do a lot of paid advertising within social media platforms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He explains it\u2019s about trying to grab candidates\u2019 attention with \u201csomething that makes their thumb stop scrolling\u201d and start the conversation that way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re just trying to leave no stone unturned,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Increase exposure with new channels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While LinkedIn remains a top recruitment channel for most organizations, HR leaders say they\u2019re being more proactive with outbound avenues, exploring job boards, word of mouth and partnerships, among other channels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They\u2019re also seeking out new collaborations to create additional inbound methods of recruiting, especially to reach more diverse applicants, Gen Z and people who may not have a university degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Vary when and how you do outreach, then measure success<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Experimenting with different forms of outreach to potential candidates is critical to increased success in finding talent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speak to your ideal candidate about where they spend their time online, or make an educated assumption based on what you already know and then test that assumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Use the same approach with imagery, headlines and copy to test which avenues yield the best results\u2014just like how marketing teams might. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This allows you to double down on the recruitment channels that have proved most successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hire for potential<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When it\u2019s difficult to find candidates with the necessary skills and experience, companies that are getting ahead are looking for someone who knows the sector inside out, has creative ideas and infectious enthusiasm on how to execute them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They focus on what a candidate can become\u2014by considering transferrable skills, learning agility and the right attitudes and behaviours\u2014not what they have been in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"two\">Challenge 2: How to deal with candidates\u2019 evolving needs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Attractive salaries and flexible working aren\u2019t the only tools anymore\u2014it\u2019s about listening to employees\u2019 different and changing needs, and how a company cares for its workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Opportunities for learning and development and clear career pathways are also attractive for top talent, explains Tracey Elvin, People and Culture Director at HR firm Hive: \u201cThere\u2019s this new sense from candidates: \u2018You\u2019ve hired me, so develop me.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPeople have different expectations of what is meaningful work for them. They expect learning and development. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey expect feedback on a regular basis, they expect coaching and mentoring\u2014the whole package. It\u2019s a case of \u2018use me or lose me\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gain your ideal candidate\u2019s perspective by developing personas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Spending time developing candidate personas can significantly improve your talent acquisition strategies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That means thinking about what your ideal candidate looks like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What characteristics, skills and traits make up your perfect hire? More importantly, what do they want from a job? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The candidate persona gives HR leaders an edge, helping them stay laser-focused on the target candidate to understand exactly what will entice those candidates to apply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Create a killer employee value proposition (EVP)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>How do you get candidates to come looking for you when they\u2019re being given multiple job offers? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The key is to develop compelling branding and messaging that will continually grow your pool of high-quality applicants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think about what\u2019s going to make your organization stand out and appeal to candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Developing a killer EVP supports your long term, inbound recruiting efforts by proactively continually attracting candidates to you to build your pool of high-quality applicants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Think beyond financial reward and reimagine your employee experience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>HR leaders are now focusing on other benefits they can offer to attract top talent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perks such as four-day weeks, more paid leave, private health insurance and gym memberships, as well as work compensatory days (also known as time in lieu) and organized company-wide days off are now all part of the HR recruitment arsenal needed to compete for top talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"three\">Challenge 3: How to fast track top talent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The average time it takes to hire someone is currently between <a href=\"https:\/\/fitsmallbusiness.com\/recruiting-statistics\/#:~:text=The%20average%20time%20to%20hire,skills%20will%20take%20more%20time.\">33 to 49 days<\/a>, so speed of hire and quality of development are crucial for organizations to win and retain top talent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using HR tech to speed up and streamline recruitment processes helps organizations stay in the competition and attract the best candidates quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf you have a recruitment process any longer than two stages, you\u2019re not in line with the competition,\u201d says Emma Gardiner, associate director at global recruitment consultancy Harvey Nash. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe window to secure talent is getting smaller and smaller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere are still a lot of organizations using old fashioned recruitment processes out there, and they\u2019re the ones suffering the most.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Save time with technology and streamline processes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Minimising any friction in the recruitment process is key to reducing the risk of losing top talent in the initial stages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Use technology to reduce the time taken to process candidates provides a massive benefit to HR leaders, keeping the recruitment teams on track and candidates engaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, systems that automatically track applicants can prove indispensable in alleviating some of the manual labour, therefore speeding up the process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Likewise, think about reducing the number and length of interview rounds to keep the process as slick and streamlined as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Emphasise internal flexibility and agility for hiring teams<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Speed of hire shouldn\u2019t come at the expense of the human side of recruitment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As technology helps accelerate the speed of recruitment, it also frees up valuable time for HR teams to invest in those high quality, human aspects of the interview process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That means placing an emphasis and insisting on internal flexibility by making sure the relevant people in the organization are aware of the need, and equally committed, to shortening the hiring process and being available for interviewing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"four\">Challenge 4: How to provide a first-class recruitment and onboarding experience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Creating a great recruitment experience reflects well on an organization and creates an attractive proposition for candidates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With as much as 20% of staff turnover occurring within the first 45 days of a new hire\u2019s employment, a smooth, seamless onboarding experience is a vital part of the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Evaluating the entire recruitment journey to see where improvements can be made is beneficial for both candidates and hiring managers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Surface candidate and employee feedback, then act on it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to know how to improve your organization\u2019s recruitment and onboarding experience, the best people to ask are the ones who\u2019ve been through it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Listen to what candidates have to say about their own experience and use automated surveys that capture feedback throughout the process to drive a pathway of improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Use your People data to spot trends<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Digging into employee data to recognize any drop-offs in engagement or patterns of absenteeism can be useful for heading off attrition at the pass. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Regular \u2018temperature checks\u2019 of employee engagement, using pulse surveys and other feedback is essential to hold on to talent\u2014especially when considerable time, energy and expense has gone into winning top talent in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"final\">Final thoughts: The key to success? Be the honey pot<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Becoming an attractive proposition for candidates means using every tool available, adopting a healthy mindset of test and fail, and tapping into previously untapped talent pools\u2014realising that great talent can come from anywhere and everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>HR leaders who are rising to these recruitment challenges are demonstrating remarkable agility, innovation, and creativity in finding solutions to win the intense war for talent and keeping their organizations competitive\u2014both now and in the future\u2014in a much-altered recruitment landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to our Sage Advice Newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get our latest business advice delivered directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-ab515c6e-7e90-4c2f-a67e-113872516e8b\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"Working from home with tea in hand\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The war for talent has got a whole lot fiercer, thanks to the Great Resignation. Find out how to get ahead of the competition. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1118,"featured_media":10750,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"business_type":[],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[],"imagine_tag":[],"coauthors":[734],"class_list":["post-10358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-leadership"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-us","author_name":"Jessica Leyshon","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/GettyImages-1138451009-300x169-1.jpg","imagine_tags":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice US","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10358"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10358\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/10750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10358"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=10358"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=10358"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=10358"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=10358"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=10358"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=10358"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=10358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}