At the NFTMO we’re aware that TMOs are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit good quality staff to fill their vacancies and, with this in mind, we were planning to run a workshop looking at this at Conference this year. With Conference having been cancelled we approached Ocean Edge Recruitment, who were going to run the workshop, for some advice.
How hard can it be to recruit staff? If your TMO is currently advertising a vacancy but you are underwhelmed by a lack of response, this may well be a question you’re asking yourself right now!
Attracting the right candidates can be complex as the best people for a role are often not actively searching for new opportunities. Fail to find the right candidate and you have to start all over again, which is a drain on your resources and time.
So how do you advertise and recruit effectively?
The easiest way is to bring in a specialist recruitment consultancy. Ocean Edge has more than 20 years experience in finding the right people for jobs in social housing.
Director Philip Foster shares his expert advice with TMOs.
“If people aren’t applying to your vacancies or to re phrase, if the people with the skills and experience you need are not applying for your vacancy, it could be for a number of reasons.
“We recommend a combination of search and advertising to identify and attract the best people and we offer a complete recruitment service, but I appreciate that many organisations use advertising as their first approach. I’ve shared some useful tips below that I hope you can use to maximise your adverts and improve your recruitment processes, but I’m more than happy to have a chat and offer personal advice please just email or give me a call on 023 8000 1153.”
- Perfect your job advert
The first step to ensure a successful recruitment process is to get the job advert right. This is the first insight potential applicants have to your organisation so it’s essential you put thought into how your advert looks and reads. If your job advert isn’t selling the position in the right way or making your company sound like the ideal place to work, you’re not going to get much interest.
Think carefully about the content to ensure the advert does more than merely list day to day responsibilities. It needs to sell the opportunity so use exciting language to entice people to apply.
I recommend starting with a strong opening about your TMO and what makes it a great place to work, and then list some key elements of the role and any person specifications you are looking for. Finish with any company perks/benefits which will help to attract candidates.
Use bullet points to list the details to make it clear and easy to understand. And it goes without saying, always ensure adverts are written in Plain English, with no spelling mistakes.
- Is the job title correct?
Don’t be tempted to use quirky job titles – if you need a Housing Officer advertise for one – don’t change the title to something else you think sounds more interesting as you may end up deterring the right people from applying. Look at other similar jobs online and consider what job titles candidates will be searching for.
- Is your recruitment process too long?
Make it as easy as possible for candidates to apply. If people need to fill in pages of forms they may not bother applying. So keep it as streamlined as possible and aim to hold interviews swiftly after the closing date so the process doesn’t drag on.
- Boost your brand
Candidates will most likely google your TMO to do some research on your organisation before applying so make sure your website and any social media channels are up to date and make any improvements necessary to boost your brand. Consider posting positive news stories and sharing these on social media ahead of any recruitment campaign.
- Make sure you are advertising in the right places
Poor application rates in the past probably suggest that you may be advertising in the wrong places. We can advise on the right jobs boards to use to give your adverts maximum exposure, and on the best ways to share on social media to reach even more people.
For more advice on how to develop an effective recruitment strategy please get in touch via email on [email protected] or call me on 023 8000 1153.
Check out our online resources for more specialist recruitment advice for social housing clients.
