There is a HUGE void between the people who are looking for work right now and the jobs that are actually being advertised. 

Between September and November 2024, job vacancies fell for the 30th consecutive quarter, according to the Office for National Statistics, indicating a decline in hiring. In January, CV Library reported a 40% increase in applications per job, based on the 2024 average.  However, this does not mean they are the right candidates for that job as the employment market is squeezed. 

How an employer can overcome this challenge:

🌟 When did you last review the JD to assess what the job actually does now? Is it relevant for 2025 and do you really need to recruit like-for-like?

🌟 Look beyond the job titles that candidate shave held – what skills are transferable and what could they bring to the team?

🌟 Allow the candidate (or Recruiter) to explain the changes of jobs.  2020 onwards has not been kind to some businesses and people, so be considerate of changes in circumstances.

🌟 Do not expect a hire a mini-you.  They are probably out of stock (so to speak) and this does help your EDI.  The 2021 Census reported that 82% of the UK population is white-British and 14% of the people were born over-seas, which makes our country truly diverse.

🌟 What can you train for?  If you are looking for a candidate to have 100% of the criteria on the JD, then you are going to be disappointed.  What are the top 3 vital parts that you want to see on a CV? Let’s take the key words of “account management AND sales AND B2B.”In this example, they could be trained in the new sector rather than classing industry experience as essential, which will significantly help with your application numbers and give you a wider audience to choose from.  

🌟 Hire for personality and ability, not a perfectly crafted CV. I don’t solely rely on AI to shortlist CVs as the most amazing candidate could be overlooked. It always pays to ring a candidate and clarify a few basic details before writing them off.  It can be the difference between a magical hire and a missed opportunity.  

🌟 Exploring working pattern changes such as part time, job shares and annualised or compressed hours.  My passion lies in finding solutions to recruitment issues and therefore innovation in workforce planning is a key part to the answer.  

🌟 What groups of people are being overlooked?  

a)      Embracing age diversity and promote inclusion - Over 50’s

“With one third of the workforce now over 50, it is surprising that companies are not focusing enough on strategies to engage, retain and retrain this crucial demographic.” (People Management, January  2025) 

If we’re lucky we are all going to get to this age and would want the chance to continue being a contributing member of a team.  

b) Ex-offenders – giving a second chance

Sodexo are successfully running a Starting Fresh programme that gives ex-offenders a fair chance.  They are looking at the person not the conviction and this approach has led to higher retention rates, which is a win-win for the employer and employee.  

c) Veterans

15,000 men and women leave the UK’s armed forces every year and 47% of veterans had failed to find employment six months after leaving according to Deloitte in their  'Veterans Work: Then and Now'

How can the highly developed skill-sets from the military be valued in the commercial world? There is a definitely match for those employers willing to offer opportunities for ex-military personnel to demonstrate their abilities.  We are talking about a range of trained personnel from engineers, to private soldiers, to telecommunications, to supply chain and up to the rank of Major.  This is a large sector that should not be overlooked in a time when companies are feeling the recruitment strain.

If you would like to discuss how Nomad can support and develop your company’s recruitment strategy, then please get in touch.