A labour shortage in recent years, heightened by the Covid-19 pandemic but fuelled by an aging workforce and changes in the job market, is impacting businesses across the country.
Currently, there are more than 870,000 vacant jobs in Canada, and over one third of Canadian businesses have faced the impacts of labour shortages.
After conversing with our clients, we found that there are two main impacts Canadian businesses are facing due to this talent crunch: no-shows in interviews and attracting and retaining talent. The fact is that top candidates are simply not on the job market for long and are quickly snatched up. The result is that there are often candidates who don’t show up for interviews. Along with that, it can be difficult to attract the right people for your business in the first place, and retain your existing top talent in an ever-evolving job market.
But have no fear, Envol is here!
Today, we’re going to dive into some useful tips on how to reduce the number of no-shows you might be experiencing as well as how to attract and retain top talent.
No-Shows and Tips on Reducing Their Numbers
Let’s talk about no-show interviews (A.K.A. workplace “ghosting”). This is something that happens when candidates drop out of interviews without notice and don’t show up to their interview.
This phenomenon is becoming increasingly common with the current talent crunch we’re experiencing, so if you’re struggling with this – you’re not alone. The job market is certainly converting to one that’s controlled by candidates rather than the employer. Candidates are often the ones who have the luxury of picking and choosing from the opportunities they are presented with. They can get snatched up pretty quickly!
Here’s how you can reduce the number of no-shows you’re experiencing:
- Create detailed job descriptions and engaging job ads. This ensures that candidates have an accurate idea of the projects they’ll be taking on and the things they’ll be responsible for in their role. This will reduce the number of applicants you receive who apply to a job thinking it’s something different than what was advertised, and end up ghosting the interview when they find it doesn’t align with their expectations.
- Maintain consistent communication with the candidate. This is super important, especially with the current labour shortage! By maintaining consistent communication between yourself and the candidate throughout the interview process, you will have a better understanding of their thoughts during the process and their interest in the role. Plus, communicating to confirm interview times is always a good idea!
- Be open and transparent throughout the hiring process, setting clear expectations. When the candidate is aware of the steps involved in the interview process and what your expectations are, it encourages them to stick to their initial interview time slot or proactively reach out to reschedule, should a conflict arise. It saves both of you time!
- Reach out to the candidates that ghost you and ask for feedback. When a candidate doesn’t show, send them an email or give them a call to ask why they changed their mind and didn’t attend the interview. They might have useful insights that you can incorporate into your interview process moving forwards to avoid future no-shows! Use that feedback to your advantage.
- Pre-screen your interviewees. Give your applicants a quick call or schedule a brief Zoom screening with them to ensure they are a good fit. You want to spend time interviewing someone who will show up even for a pre-screen and has the right attitude. By pre-screening your interviewees, you can filter out any applicants who don’t show an interest or don’t seem like the right fit for your company.
Tips for Attracting and Retaining Top Talent
As a result of the current labour shortage, another trouble many Canadian businesses are faced with is attracting and retaining top talent.
If you’re struggling with this, take it is an opportunity to improve your employer branding, stand out from competitors, and position your company as a desirable place to work. You’ll want to invest some time into attracting and retaining top talent to ensure you build a solid team and avoid the effects of the labour shortage.
Some key areas to focus on for attracting and retaining talent include:
- Improve your employer branding. This can include improving your interviewing and hiring process, boosting your social media game, or working on your company culture. The opportunities are endless!
- Create job ads that bring in the right people for the right roles. Write job ads that accurately portray your company culture and values. This will help you find the people who share your values and genuinely want to join your team.
- Implement an employee retention strategy. An effective employee retention strategy begins before you hire and extends through the entire employee life cycle. Create a strategy that will help you advance the quality of your employee experience.
- Reward top performers, celebrate your team’s wins, and invest in helping improve low-performing employees. Show that you care about their success and growth at your organization. Acknowledge and celebrate top performers and work with those who need a little extra help to improve their deliverables. Your team will appreciate it!
- Engage with your team and get to know them as humans! Put in a bit of extra effort to get to know your team members and learn more about them. This will help you grow together and be an even stronger team. Share what you did on the weekend, check in with them on a personal level, and enjoy fun work events together!
We Can Help
If you’re feeling the effects of the labour shortage but aren’t sure what your next steps are, we’re here to help! We’ve got a TON of resources to support you.
- Check out these blog posts: Using Social Media to Attract Top Talent and 5 Common Onboarding Pitfalls.
- Our Resources page has a bunch of FREE tools that you can use to get you started!
- Get in touch with our HR and Recruitment team today to talk more about improving your employer brand, employee life cycle, and candidate experience.
We can’t wait to connect! Let’s do this!