By Sarah Hamilton-Gill FCIPD Managing Director of GlobusHR Consulting Ltd, who are celebrating over 27 years as an award-winning HR Consultancy - specialising in the SME marketplace.

SMEs can't compete with the big corporates with high salaries and benefits but there are many other reasons why people enjoy working in the SME marketplace.

Do you know what your social media presence says about your business? If not, you need to take a look as it could be a real eye-opener and a reason why you are struggling to attract candidates.
Unless you make your business attractive to potential new recruits you will not receive applications from the high-caliber candidates you are expecting, or would have had just a few years ago.

More than ever your social presence online will be under scrutiny from potential candidates, who want to see if you are a business that they would like to work with - the culture and feel is really important.

Candidates will be looking at:

1              Your website: What are your values?

2              Facebook: how often do you post, what sort of posts?

3              LinkedIn: how do you portray your business professionally? Does it evidence good working practices or employee engagement? How many employees are there in the business and what are the business statistics on the growth of the business?

4              Glassdoor: have your current or ex-employees reviewed your business on this platform? Is it positive? If it's negative, maybe there are things you can work on or address?

You may think your business is too small to worry about these issues. But it doesn't matter what size your business is, it's your reputation, and how you are perceived that will take your business forward with the right caliber of employees.

Why would a candidate want to work for you?

It's a great question, isn't it? It's also one to share and talk through with others in your business. Why not include supporting content in a candidate pack? After all you list the typical benefits of working with you such as holiday pay and pension contributions. Show potential candidates that you care about those who work with you and that you recognise their worth.

Where do I start to make changes? Is it going to be expensive?

It's won't cost you as much as you think to make a positive change. In fact, it won't cost you a penny to take the first step if you take advantage of GlobusHR Consulting Ltd's free no obligation employee branding audit and report.

You will gain insights on how you are currently perceived, and come away with actionable points, so that you can turn things around.

In conclusion
To attract the right candidates for your vacancies your key focus is to ensure their experience of you and your recruitment process is professional, timely and positive.

In the current marketplace you don't need to create lengthy recruitment processes. Be clear about the role that needs filling, and the desirable and essential qualities you are looking for so that you are marketing to the right audience.

If you have vacancies you are struggling to fill why not take advantage of our free no obligation consultation and audit?

Email sarahhg@globushrconsulting.co.uk to start the dialogue!

Visit GlobusHR Consulting Ltd

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