Almost half of hiring managers are unhappy with how long it takes to fill roles in 2018. Here’s how to solve that problem.

The 2018 marketing hiring landscape is marked by a few common themes: anticipated growth, more open positions than qualified marketers to fill them, and a frustration with the length of time it takes to fill roles.

Almost half (44 percent) of marketing hiring managers surveyed in McKinley Marketing Partners’ 2018 Marketing Hiring Trends Report stated that they are dissatisfied with the length of time it takes to complete the hiring process. And a lengthy hiring process can be detrimental. It can lead to lower performance, plummeting morale, and a burnt out, overworked staff. Candidates are also less likely to remain available throughout a long and drawn out hiring process.

A well-executed hiring process is a critical piece of a healthy organization. These are the top hiring challenges to overcome in 2018.

  • 47 percent of respondents said that there are not enough quality candidates applying
  • 32 percent say they have difficulty assessing soft skills
  • 37 percent call the hiring process “long” or “complicated”

It’s not surprising that hiring managers are having trouble finding the right people for their teams when you consider that only a fraction of marketing talent (24 percent) are currently available or looking to change roles in the near term. Another 55 percent of marketers would be willing to entertain an offer if presented to them, but are not actively seeking a new position. These workers rarely apply to posted openings.

If you are hiring this year, there are two things you can do to proactively combat these challenges.

 1. Partner with a staffing company that can help you find those hidden gems who are not actively seeking new positions. At McKinley Marketing Partners, our recruiters are AIRS certified in deep Internet searches. We pride ourselves in being able to find your dream candidates–the ones that you otherwise would not even know exist.

 2. Invest time up front in crafting a clear, compelling, and concise job description. In our 23 years of experience we have many stories to tell about how a hiring process was slowed by a lack of clarity around exactly what was needed in a candidate. To help with this, we created a how-to guide: Crafting the Ultimate Job Description to painlessly walk you through the process of writing a job description by asking thoughtful questions to help you put the pieces together to create a successful and compelling job description. Download it free here.

A healthy economy creates healthy and growing businesses with teams that will need to expand. By keeping up with the state of the job market and educating yourself on how to reach and engage with highly desirable candidates you should have no trouble meeting the hiring needs of your team.

by McKinley Marketing Partners