They say time is money, and in the world of recruitment, it’s a phrase that holds a lot of weight.
Truth is, if you have a void, something will inevitably fill it. There’s no space for grey areas, barren spaces and wasted time when you’re looking to attract new talent. Your firm needs to strike when the iron’s hot, so you can secure the best people for the job and keep your business moving forward. If not, you could be letting the future leaders of your firm slip through your fingers.
But what is said void, and how can you prevent yourself falling head-first into it?
From helping accountancy firms across the UK navigate a challenging recruitment landscape, we see first-hand how even the most established and proactive firms can stumble into a void. And the worst part? It’s something that can pretty much always be avoided.
With that in mind, here’s why your firm should reassess its recruitment strategy to ensure you don’t get sucked into a recruitment blackhole.
What is the void?
The best way to understand the recruitment void is to visualise it.
Picture this. You’ve enlisted a trusted recruitment partner to find the perfect candidate for your team. You start to receive CVs for suitable candidates, which you excitedly share with your senior team. Internal discussions get underway, and you decide to ask the candidate to attend an interview. But before you get a chance to confirm this with the recruitment consultant, an unexpected job takes priority.
A few days later, when you finally find the time to send the email, it’s already too late. The candidate has been snapped up by a fast-moving firm and is on interview elsewhere. You’re back at square one.
It’s the common, unwanted scenario that pretty much every business has been through, and it’s the perfect example of how getting stuck in the void can grind your firm to a frustrating halt.
Things move quickly in recruitment, especially amid the ongoing skills shortages. If you take too long to respond, somebody else will fill that void and secure the candidate for themselves.
Therefore, it’s crucial that your recruitment strategy is both proactive and reactive. To avoid the void, you need to jump on opportunities and maintain a responsive, fast-moving dialogue.
How can I avoid the void completely?
Public Practice is a competitive and ever-evolving sector, so it’s essential that your recruitment strategy can meet the current market demands.
Whether you’re a small, independent firm or a Top 10 trailblazer, here are our tried-and-tested tips for upscaling your recruitment strategy to veer past the void.
Ever wondered why some accountancy firms attract the best talent, whilst others struggle to fill vacancies in the same location for the very same job? Amp up your approach to recruitment to attract the best candidates.
Good Communication
The recruitment process is most likely the first experience a candidate will have with your firm. To attract the best talent, it’s essential that you make a good first impression during this period.
Inadequate communication will cause candidates to look elsewhere, which will only lead you back into the void and cause the recruitment process to go on for longer than it should.
Therefore, it’s essential that you remain responsive to all emails coming from recruitment consultants, offer interviews in a timely manner, and maintain an ongoing dialogue. This will put candidates at ease and ensure that they feel valued during the application process.
Looking to bridge the gap between manager and candidate? Align your recruitment compass today!
Streamlined Application Process
It’s likely that most of your applicants are already in full-time work. They won’t have much spare time to sit through lengthy applications, so why make it longer than it really needs to be?
The fact is, unnecessary application processes deter jobseekers. Most people simply do not have the time to fill in dozens of documents for a job that they may not even secure. Therefore, streamlining your application by making it as simple, straightforward and time efficient as possible will help you escape the pitfalls of the void.
Candidates don’t want to be tricked or feel like their precious time is being taken for granted. The easier the process is, the more applications you’ll receive, giving you greater flexibility and access to a larger talent pool.
Prompt Feedback
While we appreciate that time is often hard to find, especially during the busy tax season, candidates will be feeling uneasy if they’re having to wait for feedback post-interview. It slows down the recruitment journey and can even put a bad taste in the candidate’s mouth, which is exactly what you don’t want.
Even if your firm decides to offer the candidate the job, remember that first impressions last. They’ll remember the delay in feedback and may even decline the offer because of it.
Therefore, it’s important to offer quick feedback, which could be a brief chat with the recruitment consultant or an email that includes constructive bullet-points.
Did you know that peer-to-peer interviews can help you secure top talent? Discover the benefits and how to tailor your recruitment for a turbulent market.
Competitive Salaries
With the tough economic environment and the current skills shortage within public practice, firms need to revisit their salary brackets to ensure that they’re offering candidates enough money for their experience and qualifications.
While we understand that firms have budgets to adhere to, there needs to be room for flexibility and negotiation. If you’re not offering candidates enough, they will look elsewhere. It really is as simple as that.
Not sure what salaries you should be offering? Here at Public Practice Recruitment Ltd, our market oversight allows us to direct firms away from the void and towards securing the best talent available.
Think your team may be stressed out? Explore the main sources of stress for accountants and how to manage them more effectively.
Final Thoughts
While the void can pose challenges, it’s a pitfall that your firm can easily pivot over by employing the right recruitment strategy.
Ensuring a seamless flow of communication, delivering prompt feedback and offering the right salaries are great ways to place an immovable lid on the recruitment void. Refining your process will not only benefit your firm’s recruitment strategy, but it will also improve your public image and depict your firm as a desirable place to work for public practice accountants at every level.
Looking for an expert opinion to reinvigorate your recruitment processes?
At Public Practice Recruitment Ltd, we’re the go-to consultants to some of the UK’s leading accountancy firms and we tap into our extensive, UK-wide talent network to help firms secure the best person for the job. And the best part? It all starts with just one conversation! Make sure you’re never a victim of the recruitment void again by getting in touch with our team today.
