It's been more than a year since the world changed, but as we're beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel, are job seekers and employers ready to get back out into the world? At Nexxt we’ve been checking in with job seekers to understand how their behavior over the course of 2020 into 2021 has changed when it comes to searching for jobs, their priorities, and their confidence levels.  Download the pdf.

As a recruiter, you are always on the hunt for new ways to engage and attract candidates to work for your organization and attracting talent has always been challenging. Finding talent after the unexpected events of 2020? Well, that’s been extra daunting, hasn’t it?  But you’re a seasoned professional! You know that this is a journey, not a destination.  Adding extra layers of safety measures to your hiring process was just the first step. As you wait for the world to open up, you need to keep the momentum going. As you maneuver yourself out of the woods and further into 2021 how can you think outside of the box when it comes to engaging with candidates?

Most jobs postings are miles long and include more information than the applicant needs to know at that moment, plus all the extras or fluff could be keeping great applicants from throwing their hats in the ring. So, how can you de-clutter your job posting and accommodate your talent pool? Here are some tips to update your job postings for the new normal.

Innovation and failure are often bedfellows. Many of the great intentions and inventors of our times left behind a trail of failures in the path to their victory. One of the reasons for this is that you can only fail if you try, and any person who tells you they have never failed is either lying or has never taken a big risk. The people who made their mark in any given industry are always those who aren’t afraid to fail which opens up the possibilities of greater success.

Despite an incredibly unpredictable 2020 where COVID-19 sent shock waves through the US economy, job seekers plan to search for jobs in 2021. While only 10% of job seekers said that finding a job in the new year would be easier than the year before, there’s plenty of positivity on the horizon.

Just because 2020 is over doesn’t mean that the search for the essential worker is over. So long as people are waiting for their vaccine, and ordering groceries online, and driving through testing centers, we’re still going to need to focus on continuing our hiring of those that kept us going through 2020, the brave, the courageous, the essential worker.

For those tasked with hiring essential workers – we have to think about all aspects of the hire, from where we find them, who we target, how we message them, when we can onboard, and what we do to keep them engaged.

Recently, my blogging has been centered around a theme of New Year's resolutions. But what comes after the New Year? Valentine's Day. So, in the name of love, I pivot.

I’m going to call back from not too far back in my past to my dating life (ah, remember dates?). I, like many of your friends, met my partner the old-fashioned way, using an app I downloaded on my iPhone. Tale as old as time, I tell ya. Before I met Mr. Wonderful, I went out on a myriad of first dates. So, when I tell you about the “good on paper” date, I doubt any of you are scratching your heads wondering what on earth I could mean by that. He’s the guy that seems to have all the right qualities you’re looking for – but you meet him, and none of what you want is there.

That’s what happens when your employer brand doesn’t match up with your candidate experience. Your brand is the date who’s good on paper. The experience you offer your candidate will decide if you’re going to get dumped.