If it seems like everyone’s hiring now, you’re right. And if it seems harder than ever to hire the right person, the latest research supports that belief too. The truth is that candidates can be very selective about where they apply and which companies they’ll work for because of the current supply and demand imbalance in the marketplace. To compete for the best talent, companies are upgrading their reputations, the work they’re offering and their compensation packages. They’re also hiring for job fit. But are they paying attention to the right kind of fit?

Hiring for Job Fit

In the Future of Work, 2022 Global Report from Monster, only 91% of employers feel they’ll be able to make the right hire this year. To increase their chances of success, 37% say they’re redesigning roles to “be more flexible.” Who can blame businesses for trying to optimize the fit of candidates they hope to hire? Making a hiring mistake can slow down an organization for years and managers understandably want to avoid that scenario at all costs. If they can adjust work roles to be more appealing to prospective employees, they may succeed in their recruiting efforts and improve productivity.

In this survey, researchers discussed fit as a term for candidates with the right skills and work and compensation expectations when matched with open positions. Employers should also be considering other aspects when hiring for job fit. These aspects can be measured through a psychometric assessment. Specifically, you should consider whether the candidate you like will be a good fit with the customers you sell to and whether there will be good chemistry between the candidate and their supervisor. If these relationships don’t work, you’ll eventually be spending your valuable management time trying to improve them.

The Danger of Relying Too Heavily on The Interview

Many hiring managers and recruiters continue to rank interview presence as the top influencing factor when they hire. Candidates who nail interviews make a big impression. The problem for the hiring manager is that some individuals interview very well, but once they’re hired, show their true work traits which may include little or no productivity or toxic behavior. A great psychometric assessment can reveal work and motivational traits about candidates who interview well. If you really like other aspects about a candidate who may potentially exhibit toxic behavior in specific work situations, you may want to hire them. But you will have a heads-up about what to expect and you may even want to discuss those tendencies with them during the hiring process.

What Candidates Are Looking For

During your recruiting process, you also need to polish up your organization’s reputation and offer what candidates are looking for. When a potential candidate considers working for your company, compensation is key. But compensation goes beyond base pay. And expectations vary across industries. For the 35% of businesses actively addressing compensation concerns in the Monster report, the following actions have shot to the top of the list:

Adding access to profit sharing
Increasing starting bonuses
Improving relocation funds

Financial incentives are particularly important in the health care and tech industries, as well as in leisure and hospitality. Surveyed hiring organizations believe the top priority for candidates is health care coverage. Following that, they list PTO and flexible work schedules as the next two items they are working on in order to improve their attractiveness to candidates.

The research shows that candidates list salary protection or fair compensation as their top need. Their second priority is financial compensation beyond salary. The survey also reveal some age-based differences between the candidates. Older candidates are most focused on compensation while younger job seekers are looking for job flexibility and want to see a path to future career growth.

Reputation Management is a Two-Way Street

While hiring managers are ramping up their compensation packages and adjusting job content, certain red flags cause them to reject candidates. And it’s not about whether a candidate has a four-year degree. In fact, employers are more willing than ever to hire a person who needs some training. But they consider the following elements to be worrisome: candidates with big resume gaps (46%), those who live far from the company office (42%) and people who appear to be job hoppers (46%).

Meanwhile, job seekers are busy checking out companies they want to work for. They’ll definitely look at the company website and your LinkedIn page. And they’ll probably stop by other sites such as Glassdoor. As you’re hiring for job fit, make sure you are attractive to prospective employees who want to make an informed decision before they accept an offer from you.

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