Unlocking The Secrets To Filling Hard-To-Fill Positions: What Recruiters Need To Know

• A hard-to-fill job represents an opening that corporations struggle to fill because of either a lack of qualified candidates or too few people applying.
• Developing a recruitment strategy is the first step to filling those hard-to-fill positions in your business. 
• You need to establish your brand as a company that can ensure that tough-to-fill positions are quickly filled. 
• Requesting support from your team members for employee referrals will tremendously impact your organization’s success. 

What defines a role that is “hard to fill”?

Let’s look at this in simple terms of supply and demand.

In the Philippines, a hard-to-fill job refers to open roles that companies cannot fill due to the lack of qualified job prospects or an inadequate number of applicants. 

Filling these positions can be difficult for employers since many qualified prospects opt to work overseas, pursue higher pay, or struggle with conflicts between their desired schedule and the job’s location.

Due to the inadequate wage and non-wage benefits for workers in the country, filling in jobs is proving to be difficult, according to a statement from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Difficulties may stem from various reasons, but for whatever reason, a new approach to recruitment is needed. Assuming that you have used all of the well-proven traditional sourcing methods available, if the process has been taking too long, what can you do about it?

Review and adjust your mindset as an evaluator

Patience and acceptance should be in your mindset when dealing with hard-to-fill positions. It would help if you had the patience for the time it will take for the challenge. 

Embrace the recruitment process as a challenge, and never settle for anything less than your standards. Rather than allowing yourself to be held back by recruitment limitations, use them as an impetus to push forward!

Look at the job and candidate specifications. Ask yourself, is the selection criteria reasonable and realistic? Are the recruiter and the hiring manager aligned in purpose and selection criteria? 

There have been too many times when a job was found “hard to fill” because of unrealistic expectations. Make sure you are not setting criteria that only a superhero could meet. Check that all of the aptitudes and competencies being sought are really necessary for the job.

You may also need to review your stand on remuneration with the package and its relation to benefitting the company if the role is filled sooner rather than later.

Generate a structured recruitment strategy

It is difficult to tell how the economy will pan out in 2023, as it is a bit like peering into an uncertain future. However, one thing we can be sure of is that regardless of the economic environment, there will likely still be stiff competition for top talent in the coming years.

Developing a recruitment strategy is the first step to filling those hard-to-fill positions in your business. This comprehensive guide will direct you and your team throughout each phase of the hiring process with precision.

Your recruitment plan will serve as your guidebook in facing the various obstacles you may encounter when recruiting for hard-to-fill positions.

When devising your recruitment plan, keep in mind all the necessary steps to identify and recruit top-tier talent who are ideally suited for a role within your organization.

A Forbes article indicated tips for generating your recruitment plan, such as:

1. Compile a budget and establish a comprehensive compensation plan that clearly outlines salary ranges for available positions.
2. Make sure that diversity, equity, and inclusion are the core foundations of your recruitment plan.
3. Take the time to examine and upgrade your company’s benefits package, bearing in mind both culture and flexibility while providing growth opportunities.
4. Explore your brand in-depth.
5. Collaborate closely with a recruiting partner to draw in promising candidates.
6. Establish meaningful connections and foster strong relationships.
7. To ensure you get the ideal candidate, keep your recruitment process running smoothly and efficiently.

Establishing a comprehensive recruitment strategy before beginning the search for applicants makes finding qualified individuals for those hard-to-fill positions simpler.

Related: Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.

Establish Your Company’s Brand Identity

Establishing your brand as an organization can ensure that tough-to-fill positions are quickly filled. 

Taking care of employees is good for business – it establishes a positive reputation within the community which will help draw even more skilled individuals to apply for available positions.

Demonstrating to potential workers that you appreciate and value them, their skills, and the roles they might play can promote your organization’s prosperity, and you will get eager applicants.

Utilizing social media can also be a tremendous asset when building your employer brand. Create accounts on the most popular and effective networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, to maximize exposure for your company.

Craft the Perfect Job Description

Writing a compelling job description is often one of the most challenging hurdles in recruiting for hard-to-fill positions.

Crafting detailed and thoughtful job descriptions can assist in drawing candidates who share the same vision, values, and organizational culture as your company. 

Job description still plays an important role in recruitment as the details indicated can mold how candidates perceive a job.

Well-crafted job descriptions help teams focus on skills necessary for successful role execution rather than relying on nonessential characteristics (e.g., educational background and experience) which have minimal long-term significance. 

This allows hiring managers to make informed decisions based on a position’s technical requirements, promoting better decision-making in the workplace.

Get the recruitment process done without cutting corners

Sometimes, these hard-to-fill roles are due to an over-engineered, over-complicated recruitment process when it doesn’t need to be. Once you have identified the desired recruitment strategy, you need to act quickly and act on bringing the process to a conclusion.

Look at the selection process itself. It may be possible that the process is so stretched out that candidates are losing interest. Candidates that are already in good positions will not put up with an over-elaborate selection process, and it may well be these people that you are after.

Is the company engaging with candidates or treating recruitment as a process? Is the company inspiring and holding their attention? Companies should not only identify a person but also make an effort to appeal to that person.

Offer Irresistible Benefits

Offer potential employees a salary that is both competitive and ample enough to cover their living costs – an offer too good for them to refuse. 

With this incentive, you can guarantee your new recruits will have a comfortable life while working for your business. Rewarding specialists and employees with well-deserved benefits for the work that they do can be very beneficial for them and your company.

If you provide them adequate compensation to recognize their work and dedication, it will undoubtedly attract top professionals to come work with you and get those hard-to-fill positions.

Leverage Employee Referrals

Requesting support from your team members for employee referrals will tremendously impact your organization’s success. 

By leveraging their networks, you can enhance recruitment efforts and ensure that only the most qualified candidates are hired. Your current staff members are less likely to risk their reputations by recommending an unqualified candidate, making referrals from your employees more reliable.

Offer your employees a reward for every successful referral to motivate them and show appreciation for their support.

Final Thoughts

Finding talented individuals to fill hard-to-fill jobs can be an incredibly daunting task. Patience and acceptance should be in your mindset as well as understanding the market in order to deal with these hard-to-fill positions.

Hard-to-fill jobs become challenging if the employer does not understand the strategies and does not put effort into the recruitment process.

Implementing recruitment planning and strategies can give your company an advantage against competitors as it leverages the best methods in getting the best candidates.

These are just a few schools of thought on the problem of hard-to-fill positions. Have you encountered a hard-to-fill position in your firm? What did you do to fill it in a timely and professional manner? Submit a comment on your experiences with hard-to-fill positions.

Develop Your Perfect Recruitment Strategy for Hard-to-Fill Positions

Curran Daly and Associates is the premier executive recruitment firm in the Philippines.

Our experienced headhunters have a solid reputation for connecting organizations with their ideal candidates and solving their recruitment needs. Discover how we can help you with hard-to-fill positions for your organization today!