Talent Acquisition is changing

GPRS Salary & Benefits Survey launch reveals: Talent Acquisition is changing

GPRS Recruitment has released its latest WBL Salary & Benefits Survey, affirming that the talent acquisition landscape has changed in the past 12 months, and that job hunters are behind driving those changes. Companies have responded by improving salary packages, and refining their recruitment process standards, ensuring that the candidates’ application experiences are smoother, and more professional.

Helen Wilson, Sales Director of GPRS Recruitment, recognises that 2016 / 2017 has been extremely challenging for the work based learning and training sectors, stating:

“Sadly, some training providers have gone out of business, and their employees have found themselves redundant. However, fortunately other providers have been quick to seize opportunities available to them, and therefore, many of those made redundant have been able to secure alternative employment.”

When asked, 70% of respondents surveyed said they were currently looking for another role.

“There has been uncertainty within the sector, so it comes as no surprise that employees fearing redundancy are seeking employers offering better long term prospects.” Helen adds.

The good news is that salary and benefits packages have improved over the last 12 months, and as 25% of people responded with “seeking an increased salary” as a reason for considering leaving their current employer, companies are beginning to respond by taking a good look at how attractive their salary and benefits packages really are.

The other big focus this year for GPRS Recruitment has been the research undertaken by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, which has resulted in the creation of The Good Recruitment Campaign; This details how that many companies need to alter their approach to recruitment, based on the findings about today’s candidates, and how they approach job hunting.

In a nutshell, today’s candidate;

• Pay particular attention to the job content of advertised roles. This has meant that companies need to review their Job Descriptions, ensuring they are up to date, and a true reflection of what the candidate will be doing.
• Look for companies that have similar values to their own, as their buying process is based on emotions. Candidates want to work for companies that think the same way they do.
• Consider the way the company manages the recruitment process. The speed and efficiency of a company’s recruitment process is seen as a direct reflection of the standards the company keeps. Companies whose candidate experience is poor are seen as a substandard place to work.
• Share poor candidate experiences with their social networks, which can amount to 100s of people. Negative social media press can quickly have a harmful impact on a company’s brand, and some companies have had to review their recruitment processes to improve the candidate experience as a result.

Helen is quick to add, “It’s becoming apparent that the balance of power is changing in Talent Acquisition, as candidates have jumped into the driving seat!”

About GPRS Recruitment: GPRS Recruitment (Giraffe Permanent Recruitment Specialists Ltd) began in 2007 with the sole intention of providing an excellent standard of recruitment experience for both client and candidates, thus making us “head and shoulders above the rest”.  

We believe that recruitment can, and therefore that it should, be done better. So, our service level remains exceptionally high, regardless of the side of the interview table you happen to be sitting at. You’ll get exactly the same superstar treatment. We don’t take advantage of our clients – because, quite simply, we want them to use us again and again. We don’t under-represent our candidates – because we want them to remember us when they’re sitting in the hiring manager’s chair.

REC Audited and IIP Gold Standard Company: We are pleased to announce that we passed our Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) Audit again this year. The REC Audited scheme is recognised as the gold-standard for recruitment businesses. The audit is comprehensive, and goes much further than just compliance; requiring agencies to operate best practice in areas such as customer service, staff development, diversity, and client management. GPRS is one of only 0.5% of recruitment companies in the UK to be successfully Quality Audited by the REC.

In addition, we also retained our Investors in people (IIP) Gold in the new standard this year, leading to us being finalists for IIP Gold Employer of the Year 2017.

Prior awards include: REC awards – winner of Best People Development Company, and Best Client Experience. Great Place to Work – ranked 13^th nationally in the small business category. Recruiter Awards – Top 10 Best Newcomer, to name a few.

About The Salary Survey: GPRS celebrated 10 years in business this year. GPRS is one of the UK’s leading specialists in the recruitment of permanent staff for work-based learning and training organisations. Each year, GPRS has conducted extensive research into salaries within the industry, tracking the results in the GPRS Annual Salary and Benefits Survey.

The Salary Survey has become synonymous as an effective tool for HR Managers and Business Owners, benchmarking salary and benefits packages, and creating an awareness of what their competitors are paying. Once compiled and printed, FE News announces its launch, and then a soft copy is sent to the 3,000 contacts on our database.

Who uses the Salary Survey? Well, any of our clients within work based learning; such as training providers, colleges, levy payers, awarding bodies, networks, and training provider consortiums.