Common public sector hiring challenges.

In a market that continues to battle against skill shortages, job seekers today have endless options, reshaping how and where they choose to work. They want clear expectations on work flexibility, company culture, and growth opportunities, and they expect the job search to be as smooth as online shopping, where retailers anticipate their needs.

To stand out, employers must highlight why they are the best choice. A simple career website won’t do. Employers need smart tech, targeted marketing, and strong branding to create personalised experiences that connect with candidates, to enhance the user journey, and speed up hiring.

Key challenges for public sector hiring include:

• Candidate engagement – keeping candidates engaged. during a process that is typically significantly longer than that within private sector hiring.
• Attracting external candidates – who lack awareness of public sector roles.
• Demonstrating a compelling Employer Value Proposition (EVP) – clearly and succinctly showing candidates ‘what’s in it for them’.
• Sector terminology – candidates need the job role and skills required to be written in language that all personas can relate to and understand.
• Lack of data connectivity to adapt recruiting experience swiftly based on candidate behaviour.

You may not be treating candidates like consumers, but your competitors are.

Successful e-commerce businesses attract consumers with pinpoint accuracy.

They use huge data sets to analyse customers’ needs enabling targeted advertising for an individual consumer. Programmatic advertising, ad exchanges and networks in conjunction with Artificial Intelligence (AI) have revolutionised media buying, content creation and more. This allows advertisers to connect with consumers over a huge range of mediums used in daily life. They appear on digital streaming platforms (YouTube, TikTok), audio, display ads, social media platforms, digital billboards on trains, buses and airports; the list of touchpoints is exhaustive.

The younger generation consumes content very differently from their predecessors and the same is to be said for job seekers. 46% of Gen Z use social media as a search engine.*

Flipping the focus from a consumer to a candidate, the needs are similar. Consumers want to purchase items with just a couple of clicks, candidates want to apply similarly. If a candidate is particularly focused on a role, they may spend longer on an application but as employers, the public sector often misses out on the vast passive market. Those who may move jobs for the right opportunity do so only if the opportunity easily presents itself within a few clicks. This mindset shift is easier for the private sector, as sales and marketing are often inherent to their business operations.

Time to evolve.

The marketing world is evolving rapidly, and the public sector needs to grasp the opportunity to benefit from these advances or face falling further behind the private sector in the battle for talent. By leveraging modern marketing techniques, the candidate experience can be greatly enhanced, making public sector careers more appealing and accessible to the external marketplace. Analysing anonymised data from the recruitment journey enables more efficient spending, focusing resources on strategies that work and eliminating those that don’t. This data-driven approach not only improves outcomes but also optimises budget allocation, ensuring that every pound spent contributes to attracting top talent and filling crucial roles effectively.

SSCL Resourcing Chief Experience Officer, Nick Heckscher said:

“Marketing techniques are increasingly important in driving great recruitment outcomes. We recently completed a large-scale campaign for one of our clients and by adopting Consumer Marketing practices, we were able to reach different audiences attracting 93% of candidates from outside the Civil Service (more traditional campaigns had been below 50%) alongside a 24% increase in applicants from diverse backgrounds.

SSCL has invested in digital marketing expertise to help our clients navigate this rapidly evolving market. We can support current and future clients to create exceptional career sites, optimise candidate journeys and recruit the best talent.”

“SSCL is the largest provider of critical business support services for Government, the UK Military & Veterans (MoD), Metropolitan Police Service and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). Our vision is to empower the UK public sector with digital solutions and innovative services to deliver better outcomes for UK citizens.

We deliver rigorous, future-focused resourcing solutions that can accelerate your digital and workforce transformation. We support you to ensure you meet your recruitment goals.

During 2023, SSCL attracted more than 987,000 candidates. Over 317,000 were invited to online testing with 264,000 invited to Interview/Assessment. 57,300 candidates accepted contracts for new roles.

To find out more on the above topics, or for a wider Resourcing discussion of how SSCL could support your organisation, please connect with our Director of Resourcing Growth  – Richard Burgess-Kelly.

*source: www.emarketer.com, June 2024.