Director of specialist recruitment agency Oval Deene, Gemma Creasey says don’t panic – continue to recruit

If you have written an attractive advert and marketed to the right candidates on the right advertising channels , you should expect three of four quality applications.

If not, then it’s time to find out why.

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Working with a specialist recruitment agency can be valuable at this stage, as we are able to feed back to you, as an employer, the reasons for suitable candidates not wanting to join your business.

This could be a number of reasons such as the salary you are offering is considered too low or working hours may not be suitable for the candidates.

But don’t forget, sometimes the time of year can also affect responses to a recuitment advert.

Often at Christmas, and around the end of the year, responses to recruitment adverts tend to slow down as candidates want to receive annual bonuses.

They may start their search for a new job opportunity in the New Year.

Consider your negotiables

So what should you do if the response to your recruitment advertisement is not as expected?

Well, first of all, don’t panic – recruit!

It may be that you need to revisit the salary, ensuring it is in-line with your competitors to attract the best designers.

Or there may need to be a negotiation on your commission structure, so it better meets job seekers’ expectations.

Is there any flexibility of what the role requires and how much you are prepared to pay for a quality designer?

If working hours are an issue, could you put a rota system in place?

If you are still struggling with responses, it’s time to approach a recruiter in the kbb market.

Oval Deene can create a campaign around your brand and company and attract the right candidates.

We can write job adverts from your specifications, knowing what stands out to designers.

We will use our social media and job boards to generate a real buzz around the retailer’s position and company.

We then stay in close contact, support and feed back to clients, to ensure the design talent stays with them for a long time.