While there are still regions around the nation where unemployment is high, the majority of job markets have recovered. This allows employees and applicants the luxury of being selective and provides the confidence to explore new opportunities when a current role is no longer a great fit. This means your HR strategy must be redefined and needs to cater to your internal consumers.
Applicants Are More Willing To Relocate
Millennials are now the largest workforce in the nation, and Millennials break the status quo. They are more likely to rent than buy, therefore, more likely to relocate for work. From a recruiting standpoint, this is exciting!
You can realistically recruit clients in other cities and states and create the dream team you’ve been searching for. Even Baby Boomers are eager to work longer than previous generations, and to consider downshifting careers if the opportunity is a good fit. As an HR strategy, you need to determine what makes your company and job opportunity worth relocating for.
Applicants Don’t Just Want A Paycheck
While most of your job applicants require a monthly salary to survive, applicants are no longer just looking for a paycheck. They want to be engaged. They want to work for a company invested in their local and/or global community. They want to be part of something bigger. They even want to work for a company they would be proud to do business with. Even if the products or services you provide are not ones they could invest in (for example, multimillion dollar real estate), they want to work for a brand they are proud to be part of.
They Are Less Committed To An Industry
While The Birmingham Group specializes in construction recruiting, searching for transferable skillsets is a sound HR strategy for everything from recruiting military veterans, to searching for in-office and executive management who has worked in other sectors of the AEC industry. Your construction niche can even inspire an industry shift. A company committed to sustainable building practices, green living alternatives, or even tiny houses may attract a socially aware candidate, who had never before considered construction.
Your Internal Consumers Are Your Most Powerful Brand Influencer
We’ve all heard the stories; a consumer posts an example of a product failure, and overnight, company shares drop. When a post of a moldy Capris Sun juice box when viral, it was followed by an immediate dip in sales. While your internal consumer’s ripple effect may not be as fast-acting, it is even more impactful. It’s not uncommon for employees to post about work on social media, blog about their current and past jobs, and post no-holds-barred reviews on sites like Glassdoor. Many of these results show up simply by typing your company name into any search engine. Your external consumers trust the opinions of your internal consumers more than any creative marketing campaign, making your internal consumers your most powerful brand influencer.
Last but not least, the goal should always be to provide a company culture that would inspire ongoing referrals for product, service, or professional networking. This means, finding innovative ways to add value for your internal customers must be a larger part of your HR strategy.
If your HR strategy is in need of an overhaul, reach out to The Birmingham Group today!
