This is a common problem often faced by startups and smaller companies if they haven’t recruited for a while.
It’s not an easy question to answer, as there are several issues that could be affecting your response rate.
Getting adverts noticed
The way online job adverts are listed has changed significantly over the last few years due to advances in SEO on job boards, so it’s important that you consider the keywords that prospective candidates might use to search for their next job.
It’s also important to consider where you are posting your job ads; the choice between niche and mainstream job boards as well as the emergence of LinkedIn has changed the landscape over the last few years.
Market changes
The jobs market has also seen significant change in the last few years, especially for those recruiting for technical and digital skill sets.
The UK is in the middle of a skills shortage, making it much more challenging to find candidates with the right technical and digital skills.
Using a recruitment company could be the most effective way for you to find the best person.
Active vs Passive
The skills shortage has resulted in a lack of active candidates (individuals actively looking for a job) in the market, but a good recruitment agency will have the tools and expertise to find passive candidates (individuals not actively looking for a job).
Generally, it is this pool of candidates that recruitment agencies take advantage of to fill the best technical jobs.
Often smaller startups and companies are wary of recruitment companies due to the associated fee – however if it’s a hard-to-find skill set that you’re after then using a recruitment company will ultimately save you time and money when recruiting.