About 50,000 specialists are missing in the IT industry in Poland. For this reason, it often happens that several companies want to hire 1 employee at the same time. If you want the candidate to choose yours, it is worth knowing what they might pay special attention to.
Now more than ever, candidates put the safety and stability of the employer on the top of their list. A prospective employee wants to know how the pandemic has affected your industry and what you are doing to keep your business in good shape.
The candidates’ fears have their logical justification not only in the current, pandemic, situation. When changing jobs, probably none of us would like to “burn” and find out after a month that the company is in a bad financial situation or that there are plans for collective redundancies.
As an employer, what can you do to assure candidates of the stability of your company? We’re explaining this below!
1. Organize a meeting with people who have recently joined your company
Such a conversation will confirm your potential employees that you are not slowing down and focusing on constant development. Recent employees can share the concerns they had during the recruitment process and how they were addressed. There is a good chance that the candidate will feel relieved in this way.
Additionally, direct contact with the rest of the team can be a good factor in making the final decision regarding cooperation – after all, business is about people😉
2. Tell the candidate about your recruitment plans
During the job interview, tell the candidate about your further plans for expanding the team – preferably as specific as possible. The general information that you plan to increase the number of employees by the end of the year is not enough. Say exactly how many people you want to hire, to which teams and what purpose it should bring in relation to the functioning of the entire company.
3. Communicate cooperation with a new business partner
If you have recently taken up a new project or started cooperation with a new business partner – communicate it during recruitment meetings, and even better if you also emphasize it on your social media. This will show that you are on a path of continuous development and not resting on your laurels. A company that is open to cooperation increases its credibility. Additionally, it can be something to be proud of and worth showing off, because the partner chose YOU for specific reasons.
4. Describe the remote work policy
Tell the candidate about your remote work policy and how it influenced the quality of your work/service/product. Explain also what are your plans for the next few months – 100% remote, hybrid model, 100% office? This will give the candidate a clear understanding of what to expect. The answer: “I don’t know, we’re still figuring it out” sounds unprofessional after more than a year of the pandemic and shows that the company is unable to determine basic information.
5. Present the financial situation of the company
It’s a good idea to present the financial situation of the company in the form of reports or by having a conversation with CFO. The numbers should speak for themselves. They will also show whether the company is prospering throughout the time of its existence.
Also, remember to be honest here – do not sweep inconvenient information under the rug and don’t talk only about positive results (unless you only have those 🙂). A transparent explanation of what influenced a given financial period, what conclusions you have drawn from it and what actions have been taken as a result, should give the candidate a sense of greater peace of mind.
6. The industry defends itself
In some situations, the industry speaks for itself. The pandemic certainly influenced that. The difficult situation is still clearly visible, primarily in the HoReCa, fitness and entertainment industries, which were unable to function normally throughout the year.
However, there are industries that, despite the pandemic, managed to remain stable and even recorded growth. It is visible by browsing through job offers, but also by analyzing the amount of salaries in certain sectors. For example, the salaries of Polish programmers have increased significantly – according to data from Central Statistical Office (pl. GUS), salaries in the IT industry have increased by an average of 500 PLN (approx. 111€) per month.
The situation is similar in the e-commerce industry. According to the document Information Society in Poland in 2020, 61% of Poles used e-commerce services this year, which is an increase of almost 8% compared to the previous year.
So if your company is in a sector that is experiencing a period of growth, the candidate should appreciate it.
7. Investments in employee development
Do you have a budget for an employee development program? Do you offer them a special training at the beginning? Tell the candidate about it. The feeling that the company wants to invest in the development and improvement of its employees’ skills should bring good results and create trust. If an organization invests in the employed person it shows that it most likely has long-term plans for cooperation.
8. Suggest the candidate to ask friends from the industry about your company
Another source of additional information are people who work in the industry and maybe know your company. If the candidate does not have an extensive network, you can suggest that groups on Facebook or LinkedIn may be helpful.
The 2020 StackOverflow report examined how developers get information about a company when looking for a job. “Personal network” came third, so it can be assumed that such a popular practice is also effective.
9. Explain what the career path looks like
It is easier for potential employees to believe in the company’s stability when they see that the employer has a specific plan for them and wants them to develop within the organization.
In summary, stability is essential for people to do their best at work. In times of change or uncertainty, it is stability that can interfere with employees’ ability to focus, adapt and grow.
Remember that even if the candidate does not ask you a lot of questions about how stable your company is, using the above tips will increase the chances of accepting the offer.