If you know us, you’ll know we’re pretty positive people. Why wouldn’t we be? We love what we do!
But at times like this, we need a dose of realism too. Between March and July, 730,000 workers in the UK lost their jobs, and it’s a fair bet that there’ll be more to come if furlough ends, as expected, in October.
Touch wood, the contact centre industry hasn’t been too badly affected by redundancies so far. But because everyone’s so aware of how difficult things are right now, candidates are really nervous to move. At the same time, those contact centres that are currently recruiting are generally looking for experienced talent, because it’s easier to onboard them remotely.
As a result, it’s still a really candidate-driven market. Although we’re hearing from a lot of candidates that they’re panicking and applying for as many roles as they can, they’re mostly people from outside the contact centre industry. They’re sending out so many CVs and responding to so many job ads that they don’t even remember everyone they’ve applied to, while the experienced talent – the people who are really in demand – is staying put.
That’s why your employer brand is so important right now. Don’t think that there’s loads of candidates in the market, because the talent you really want is as hard to find as ever.
What exactly do we mean by “employer brand”?
We all basically know what branding is, although we might describe it differently. But in a nutshell it’s about your reputation – how people feel when they think about the services you offer, when they hear your name, or when they see your logo, visit your website or see you pop up on LinkedIn.
Your employer brand is tied to your overall brand, but it’s a bit different, because it’s specifically about how your past, present, and even future employees feel about you.
Imagine your employer brand is a massive YouTube video that starts playing the moment you first reach out to a candidate during the hiring process, and continues even after they’ve moved on to a new company. For every action you take along the way – every email you send, every meeting you hold, even the time you switched to a cheaper brand of teabags for the office kitchen – that person mentally clicks “thumbs up” or “thumbs down”. It’s constantly evolving, so it should always be on your mind.
Why’s it so important?
Obviously every contact centre wants to think they’re a “good employer”, and that people love working for them.
But the importance of your employer brand goes way beyond patting yourself on the back. It’s got a massive impact on your business.
Think about it this way: you need talent to achieve your goals, so you go to market with a new role. But you’re not attracting the right people, and when you do find someone great, they accept an offer from one of your competitors instead of yours.
That means you end up spending more on marketing to reach more candidates. It takes you longer to fill the role, so your existing team have to work harder while you’re searching for the right fit. They end up feeling stressed. By the time you’ve made a hire, someone else has handed in their notice. And then it all starts again!
We’ve seen and heard that story play out time and time again. And it’s not even about having a “bad” employer brand. This isn’t something that only happens when the boss starts harassing their staff or withholding pay.
There are loads of attractive employers out there in the contact centre market – we should know, because we work with a lot of them! – and if your employer brand isn’t as strong as your competitors, you’ll find it really hard (and probably really expensive) to hire and retain the best people.
How Jomo can help
You probably recognise some of the challenges we’ve set out in this article. That’s a good thing – after all, they say recognition is the first step to solving a problem. The next step is talking to us!
We’re like your first line of defence against a bad employer brand.
We build real, lasting relationships with our clients because we don’t want to be just another faceless service provider. By embedding ourselves in your People function, we truly become an extension of your in-house team.
When we reach out to a candidate for the first time, we know that we’re representing you and your business. Chances are it’s their first interaction with your brand so it’s crucial that we make the right impression. That’s why we take the time to genuinely understand what makes you tick – what it’s actually like to work for you – so that we can accurately and passionately promote your culture and values within the talent market to find people who’ll really thrive in your environment.
Obviously every recruiter says stuff like that, but you can see from our reviews that we really mean it:
“I would recommend Jomo People to everyone. Katie was so helpful throughout the whole process and always happy to help. She always made me feel excited and confident about my interviews and provided all the help I needed to get my perfect job.”
Megan Collier
“I dealt with Katie in process of getting my new job. She’s been amazing and so friendly as well as professional. I loved chatting and checking in with her during lockdown and this process. She is an absolute star.”
Christie Rees
“Such a great Agency if you are searching for a new job role! I dealt with Sarah from Jomo People who has been amazing. A very helpful and outstanding company, would highly recommend! Sarah made sure she was there every step of the way with me, thanks again Sarah.”
Lucy Wilks
“Unlike any recruitment experience I’ve had – Katie was genuinely invested in my applications, and actively found jobs suitable to the career I wanted. Jomo went above the call of duty to help and ensure transparency throughout the process, and motivated me along. 5/5 – contemplating getting fired just to deal with them again ?”
Charlie Robinson
Our candidates know we’re properly invested in their success and really want them to find the perfect contact centre role.
But why are we banging on about all this? What’s it got to do with your employer brand? Because it means you’re starting your relationship with a candidate in exactly the right way, whether or not they actually end up working for you.
Since March 27th, we’ve had more than 7,000 applications to our jobs. That’s a lot. We make sure we respond to every single one of them – even if it’s just an email thanking them for their application but letting them know they haven’t been shortlisted.
That’s really important, because if a candidate has a bad experience during the application process, they normally talk about it. They might post it online, tell their friends, or both. And once people start thinking you’re a bad employer to work for, or just not as good as your rivals, it’s really hard to change their mind.
Looking for a recruitment partner who knows the contact centre industry and has the expertise to help you build a strong employer brand? Get in touch – we love to chat!
Be sure to check out our Capital On Tap case study for a real-life look into our work.
