With the growth of the temporary recruitment market continuing to rise, now estimated to be around 1.7 million workers in April 2022 up from 1.45 million in January 2020 (• UK temporary workers 2022 | Statista). Candidate shortage is an issue that every recruitment agency is experiencing. So how can you compete? From using social media, to choosing the correct recruitment agency software, lets explore the top 5 ways to attract candidates to your temporary recruitment agency in 2022.
1) Social media
With 84% of the UK population being active on social media (according to • UK: social media usage 2021 | Statista), it’s no surprise that social media is the no. 1 tool to attract candidates. Linked IN alone has over 33.6 million users in the UK, 56.5% of which are aged between 25 to 34 years (• UK: LinkedIn users 2022 | Statista). These statistics highlight the importance of developing a strong online presence on social media to remain relevant in the modern recruitment market and attract the attention of good quality candidates. How? Creating high quality and relevant content, interact with candidates, boosting posts and inviting candidates to follow your pages are a few good ways to increase your social media following. For more ways to increase social following read 9 Simple Tips to Grow Your Social Media Following | Sprout Social.
Pros:
• Free (if you don’t pay for additional advertising)
• Access to the large pool of potential candidates
• Can increase brand image/reputation
Cons:
• Highly competitive
• Takes time to grow
• Needs constant monitoring and updating
2) Referrals
Why spend time looking for new candidates when you can get current candidates to do it for you? Incentivising referrals can unlock the ability to have hundreds of candidates advertising your agency on your behalf when you book them out to work. Furthermore, referrals have a higher conversion rate of bringing good quality candidates to your agency as they already have a positive opinion of your business prior to their application. Therefore, increasing the likelihood that they will become a reliable candidate for your business. Including a referral bonus is something that should be considered as part of your marketing strategy to gain candidates and stay one step ahead of other agencies.
Pros:
• Lots of people advertising for you
• Doesn’t take up your time
• Instant effect
Cons:
• Can be costly
3) Google Ranking (SEO)
With Google getting 5.7 billion searches a day (according to 111+ Revealing Google Statistics and Facts to Know in 2022 (review42.com)), ranking highly on Google is key for getting in front of competition and gaining the candidates you require. There are many key factors that increae a website’s Google SEO ranking including: page loading, keywords, high quality content and backlinks. Read up on How to Rank Higher On Google In 2022 (backlinko.com). It’s important to learn the key terms that you wish to get on page 1 for and optimise your website for that highly searched key term. Not only will this drive traffic to your website, but it also increases your recruitment agency’s brand image within the market.
Pros:
• Free
• Access to the large pool of potential candidates
• A consistent supply of candidates when achieved
Cons:
• Takes time to take effect
• A lot of work involved
• Competitive
4) Recruitment Agency Software
Recruitment agency software can help us get candidates? Indirectly yes… agencies with out-dated recruitment software can find themselves in a disadvantage over competitors with a more modern solution. Why? Because for instance, PrimePRO automates key processes such as compliance management through sending automated email notifications for compliance items that are coming up for expiry and upon expiry. Therefore, saving consultant’s time spent monitoring and sending compliance emails. Secondly, a candidate portal that allows candidates to on-board themselves, again saving consultant’s a lot of time filling in candidate records. There are many more time-saving features.
How does this help us attract more candidates? Through utilising modern recruitment agency software, recruitment businesses can reduce the amount of time being spent on-boarding candidates, sending SMS messages and other day-to-day admin tasks. Freeing up their consultants to source more candidates and improve relations with current candidates to ensure that they stay with their agency.
Pros:
• Timesaving features
• Increase candidate retention
• Keeps agencies relevant
Cons:
• Doesn’t directly get new candidates
• Can be costly
• Can take a lot of work to implement new system
5) Competitive pay
With 87% adults reporting an increase in their cost of living over the previous month in March 2022 (source: The rising cost of living and its impact on individuals in Great Britain – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)), and the competitiveness of the recruitment market in 2022, means candidates will likely be looking at the recruitment agencies with the highest pay. As a result, conducting lots of market research into other recruitment agencies is key to keep your pricing competitive with theirs. Unfortunately, increasing the cost to your agency and ultimately the end client. However, this is potentially highly important in or der to attract and retain candidates in order to fill bookings and maintain a positive client and candidate relationship. Finding the correct pay/charge rates in 2022 will be more important than ever with the instability of the markets. Constant market research will play an important role in the success of recruitment businesses in the UK this year.
Pros:
• Retain and attract candidates
• Maintain relationships with stakeholders
• Remain competitive in 2022
Cons:
• Competitive
• Costly
• Time-consuming to conduct research
Bonus method
Get candidates involved in growing your agency. Whether that’s through getting them to leave reviews, promoting referrals or following your social media. If you can get candidates feel as though they are apart of your agency and feel rewarded for helping, this can bring endless benefits to your business. Including, improving brand image, and ensuring they remain loyal to your agency. Getting them to actively play a part in growing your agency is a challenge but when this is achieved, to good effect, they can generate faster growth of your recruitment agency.
Summary
These are some of the 5 top ways to attract candidates to your temporary recruitment agency in 2022 and ensure the success of your recruitment agency. Most of these methods take time and research to perfect. Therefore, focusing on one or two at a time will bring the highest chance for success for your agency in 2022.
