Data Study - What Hiring During COVID is Really Like

The majority of 2020 has been a chaotic and unknown territory for most of us.

When it comes to HR people in the hiring world -- there have been a lot of assumptions and opinions on what hiring should currently be like.

The news will tell you this is an employer's market and it's going to be easy... while others will tell you the opposite.

However, I have yet to see any assumptions backed by data.

I thought it might be interesting to conduct a data study of the applicant flow within the 7,000+ organizations I work with and compare it to recent history so you can get a better idea of what hiring in the hiring world IS and WILL BE like.

In this week's video, I'll be sharing with you the data I discovered so I can give you a little insight into what applicant flow is really like for most industries across the United States.

The data was gathered by looking at 7,000+ businesses I work with and studying the monthly applicant flow vs. the previous same month in 2019, 2018, and 2017.

• In April, applicant flow was down by 14% in the 3-year average and 13% compared to just last year.
• In May, when the economy opened back up, applicant flow increased by only 2%-5% looking at both the 3-year average and the last year.
• In June, applicant flow dropped again... by over 11% in the 3-year average and the last year.

The fact of the matter is, no matter what the news portrays the job industry to be... applicants are hard to come by.

The talent market is insanely competitive for most employers in most industries, especially if you target skilled talent. This is because those people weren't laid off when everything shut down and that job security is keeping them rooted where they are.

Like I've mentioned time and time again -- It seems that with the rise in unemployment, it would be an employers market!

But in reality, after looking at the numbers... I think it's harder than ever before!

Employers need to show up ready to compete for talent.

Remember this comes down to 5 main things:

• 1. Create a Competitive Job

  Make sure the job, benefits, and experience working for you are as good, if not better, than they'd be working for your competitors.

• 2. Write a Compelling Job Ad

  Pitch your job ad out to the world as an awesome place to work and an awesome position to hold.

• 3. Optimize for the Best Sources

  While job boards may be the best source for applicants, they aren't necessarily the best source for qualified hires. Focus your sources on your fans, focus on your job boards within your own company career site, and focus it on employee referrals!

• 4. Reduce the Job Apply Friction

  Stop making it so hard to apply for a job! The more hoops you have your job candidates jump through, the fewer applicants you'll receive.

• 5. Create a Rapid Screening Process

  If you don't get to the best job applicants fast... your competitors may beat you to them.

Download our Sourcing Power tool and discover which of your sources are your most powerful and exactly where you should be focusing your attention. Make sourcing your strong point!