State of the Hiring Market, June 2021

Here’s what you should know about hiring in June 2021: candidates rule, underprepared hiring managers and recruiters will get ghosted.

Our current experience is that our clients and other recruiters are facing a very tough market to find good and reliable candidates. This is great for candidates and hard on small to medium businesses.

If you are reviewing applications and interviewing to fill a role, you might have noticed that candidate behavior is all messed up. Our clients are regularly experiencing candidates bailing on interviews, accepting offers and then rescinding at the very last minute, and being lured to stay at their current company by a little more money and shiny perks like flexible work schedules, co-working offices, gym memberships, and in-house coffee machines. So if you aren’t paying well and offering a good culture, location, and flexibility – you’re competing against a bunch of other companies that will take all your best prospects.

From a candidate’s perspective, you may find a buffet of opportunities at your feet each made more enticing by extra money, increased flexibility, outstanding culture, or a great office. The market is flush with roles and nearly every company is hiring.

According to recruiting industry expert Greg Savage,

“This year we will see a disturbing rise in candidates accepting counter-offers. They will ghost recruiters and employers alike, accept multiple offers simultaneously, not turn up on the start date and inexplicably ‘go silent‘ in the middle of a job search collaboration.

The labor market has been fragmented. In some cases, people see a huge career opportunity and are just desperate for a secure role in others. And don’t underestimate the resentment many candidates feel about how some recruiters treated them when the Covid-shit-hit-the-fan. Employers who have ‘over-pruned the tree’ in the downturn will return to the market in a hiring frenzy. FOMO will run rampant on both sides. Where the recovery had started, it is back to massive candidate shortages already, and all the issues that it triggers.

So, my biggest advice? Don’t make any assumptions. Ask in every conversation “has anything changed?” Zoom or not, get CLOSER to candidates than ever before. Ask qualifying questions. Pose scenarios. Pre-close your candidates, every step of the way. Uncover the REAL reason and motivation for the job move. I promise you it’s rarely the first answer given. Never in the history of recruitment have your questioning, listening, and influencing skills been as critical as right now.”

So what can you do to avoid being “ghosted” or otherwise ignored or rejecting by candidates as a hiring company or manager?

1. Make sure you are engaged during an interview: If you can, meet in person for a coffee. At a minimum make sure you understand your candidate’s needs and make an effort at explaining how the position will fulfill those needs.
2. Debrief candidates quickly after an interview: Get back to both successful and unsuccessful candidates with feedback as soon as possible. This is a courtesy that will build your employer brand and keep top talent interested in your company.
3. Never miss an opportunity to build trust and rapport with a candidate: Make an effort to build a relationship with the person you are considering such that they will be willing to reveal their real motivations and like you enough to get back to you instead of disappearing.