UK job vacancies are abundant across all sectors right now – but there are not enough candidates to fill them. The ongoing effects of the pandemic, fewer EU workers, the economic impacts of the war in Ukraine and cost of living pressures are all possible reasons quoted by experts at KPMG UK.

What this means is that the UK job market has become hugely candidate led. Companies now rival each other in a race to engage jobseekers.

Businesses need to get creative in making their offer to candidates more attractive. In such a competitive recruitment climate, they must invest in the candidate journey as much as they would in the customer journey.

Future employees are likely to have many job opportunities to consider, so how can you make sure your company catches their attention, wins their talent – and holds on to it?

Interview kits make a strong first impression

The candidate journey starts the moment they learn about your company and the job vacancy but your relationship begins as soon as you invite them for an interview – so make that moment count.

Most recruiters will probably just call or send an email with the interview details – but you can do better. An interview kit shows from the outset that you value a candidate’s time and attention – and you want to support them from the outset.

THEMPC has many years’ experience in design, print and packaging and our sophisticated in-house capabilities allow us to create personalised and branded recruitment collateral, such as:

  • Good luck greetings featuring words of encouragement
  • Affirmation cards for a clear and positive mindset
  • Tips to guide candidates through interview tasks – printed QR codes can link them straight to video content, too
  • Other collateral that demonstrates your company culture e.g. brochures including success stories from existing staff
  • Branded stationery and a pen to use before, during and after each interview stage – make your mark
  • A water bottle featuring your company logo, keeping candidates refreshed under pressure

Interview kits also present the ideal window in which to communicate your company culture. Research from Glassdoor shows that 77% of adults would consider a company’s culture before applying for a job, suggesting that a negative perception could significantly impact applications and appointments.

Stand out from the crowd, make your first impression the right one! Be bold, be different, get noticed!

A unique approach pays off later

Investment in the early stages of recruitment can reap significant rewards when it comes to getting your job offer accepted further down the line.

What’s more, tactics such as interview kits are still relatively new in the recruitment space. That makes them a powerful relationship-building tool that will elevate your company above others that are chasing the same coveted skills. Swankier interview collateral is likely to become particularly popular within industries where there is a skills shortage.

Whether you are a recruitment agent or the hiring manager, it’s certainly worth considering interview kits as part of a more strategic approach to filling jobs and growing your workforce.

Congratulations – they said yes!

Brilliant news, after all that woo-ing, the strongest candidate has decided to join your business. However, efforts to impress, inform and engage them do not stop here….

Statistics compiled by Click Boarding indicate that 69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years if they experience positive onboarding. A new starter pack for employees is the perfect way to validate a candidate’s decision to sign an employment contract with you. It will also help them perform their job better.

Utilise a welcome box to orient new recruits with the organisational structure, their new teammates and place of work, key accounts and suppliers, company culture, values and policies, processes and perks.

THEMPC can tailor it to the department they’ll be working in so the new candidate feels that the welcome is truly personal ­– not the bog-standard induction they might have been given at another company.

Our expert team can give you plenty of ideas for items to include. At the end of their probationary period, or on the anniversary of joining your business, you could send them an employee.

A strong onboarding process is one of the most critical success factors to keeping new recruits onboard!

A way for recruiters to say thanks

If you are a recruitment consultant, you appreciate that your candidates’ success is your success. When they secure that job (with a little help from you, of course), your reputation shines as brightly as theirs.

Celebrate your collective achievement by sending them a personalised thanks box containing some fizz and/or other goodies.

Remember, social media plays a powerful role in selling your recruitment services. If they feature your generous gesture of a personalised thanks box on their social media feed, it could help send more top talent to your agency in the future.

Making recruitment collateral management easier for you

Do you love the idea of interview kits, employee new starter packs and thanks boxes but lack the time or resources to create them and send them out? SwagOnline will make it all seem possible!

It’s a centralised, bespoke portal designed by THEMPC; a one-stop shop for all your recruitment and onboarding assets. Find out how SwagOnline works and discover all the advantages your company could enjoy.

THEMPC will go the extra mile to put your recruitment collateral ahead of the competition, so you win and retain the best candidates. To talk to us about your requirements, call 01256 352415.