A Flexible Employment Package Will Attract Highly Recruited Job Candidates

Anyone tasked with hiring is bound to feel the pressure. It’s a tension that can build on many levels. Hiring is not just about finding the right candidate. It’s also about securing the job candidate in the quickest amount of time. In the fast-moving candidate’s market, assume you’re not their only option. In fact, there are two, possibly three or more employers waiting to place the same hire.

The Hiring Clock is Ticking
Saying that may sound harsh, particularly when you consider the time and effort that goes into finding an employee, along with interviewing and checking references. But it’s true. The longer the hiring process takes, the harder it will be to find the right candidate. And we all know the more parties involved in the decision-making process can delay things even further. Hiring has few considerations for a normal work life filled with meetings, vacations, emergencies and day-to-day work -- all elements bound to slow the expediency a company desires and a candidate expects.

The expectation of hiring quickly was once something in the nice-to-have category, but that’s no longer true. The dynamic continues to change as the workforce shifts to include more Millennials and Gen Z employees. Now job candidates receive an average of two or more offers simultaneously. One account found this to be true for 59 percent of those surveyed.

Building the Employment Package
When a candidate receives a job offer, they often make a choice in two to three days. The decision is influenced by salary, benefits, potential for advancement, length of commute, company transparency, word of mouth and possibility of job growth.

The verdict often comes down to which employer is willing to make the best offer. While these kinds of decisions were once strongly influenced by salary, a new generation of workers is looking for something more. Often this element of more is less based on monetary desires and more about a flexible work environment.

Exploring Flexible Job Arrangements

• Part-time
• Job sharing
• Flexible scheduling
• Results-only working environment
• Telecommuting and remote work
• Unlimited vacation
• Compressed week

Creating the ultimate employment package is unique to the individual and it can often change over time as the employee progresses through different life stages. Hiring managers who have the flexibility to offer different options have a better chance of attracting candidates who are worth being employed in the first place, so act quickly and don’t delay! This is the time to step out of the normal constraints of the hiring box and create options that meet the needs of the company and satisfy the candidate’s requirements as well.