According to HRD Australia, 80% of recruiters believe that the skills shortage is their biggest recruitment challenge. With many employers competing for the same diminishing talentpool, how can you increase the volume of skilled applicants applying for roles within your organisation?  

 Build trust with potential candidates.  

 Sounds simple, right? But how do you do that?  

 Step 1 – Use Your Current Employees For Social Proof 

Social proof helps you build trust with candidates – especially those not familiar with your brand.  

 Think about the last time you chose a restaurant to eat at or a new electronic device you wanted to buy. 

 How did you make your decision? You probably checked out some reviews online.  

 You read or listened to what other people had experienced at that restaurant or with those products and when the consensus is overwhelmingly good, you have more confidence to make your purchase.  

 The same applies to recruitment… Candidates want to hear other people’s experiences from working at your company.  

 You might say that you value your employees and want to help every member of your team grow – but why should a candidate believe you?  

 A video testimonial from an employee sharing their experience of how the conferences and internal training they have attended has taught them new skills and resulted in a promotion will have a much greater impact.  

 Send out an email to your staff. Ask if anyone is happy to get on camera or give a written account of what they enjoy most about working at your company. Then add that content to your careers page so any prospective candidates can see it.  

 Want to learn more about how you can improve your website’s career page? Check out our FREE downloadable guide. 

Step 2 – Ask Your Employees For Feedback On Your Hiring Process 

Another great way to leverage your current employees in the talent acquisition process is by asking for feedback. This is especially effective with newer employees who will have recently been through the hiring process.  

 Send out a survey and give them the opportunity to provide honest feedback about what they liked and disliked about the hiring process. You can use this information to improve your current processes and provide a better experience that will be more likely to attract talented candidates.  

 You can give employees the option to provide feedback anonymously. This will often result in more honest answers that will give you actionable insights.  

 To Sum Up 

Your employees are your greatest asset when it comes to recruitment. They have been through your recruitment process so can provide honest feedback. Those that had a good experience can also share that positive message as a form of social proof to affirm to potential candidates that they should apply for your roles and to give them insight into what working with your team may be like.