2016 Global Talent Trends
That Are Shaping Small Business Hiring

Introductions
2
Allison Schnidman
Global Strategic Market Researcher
LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/allisonschnidman
Stephanie Bevegni
Content Marketing Manager
LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/stephhowellbevegni

Agenda
3
What we’ll cover…
• Data about professionals interested in
small to mid-sized businesses
• What candidates want to know about your
company and jobs
• Where to find candidates along their job
seeking journey
What you’ll learn…
• Tips to recruit talent better
• How to get the right people to apply to your
jobs

4
About LinkedIn Talent Trends
Who we surveyed:
21,000+
Global professionals
interested in working
at an SMB
700+
People who changed jobs to
work at an SMB between
February and March 2016
39
Countries around
the world

5
About LinkedIn Talent Trends
What we asked:
How open they
were to a new job
What they wanted to
know about your
company and jobs
What resources they
used to change jobs
? ? ?

1
Almost everyone
wants to hear
from you
6

Almost everyone is open to your opportunities
7
87%
of global professionals say they
would consider working at a
small organization.
A recruiter reached out. He said, ‘You have an
interesting LinkedIn profile.’ He referred to my master’s
thesis which was about the London Olympics and said I’d
be a good fit this role. I ended up taking the job.
Émilie Gauthier
Assistant to the Executive Director of Sport
Canadian Olympic Committee
Whether or not someone is an active or passive candidate, they want to know about your
open jobs.

Who is interested in
working for a SMB?
Professionals who…
• Currently work at a small business.
Companies with <200 employees
• Are more junior. <5 years full-time
working experience
• Are a millennial. 18 - 35 years old
8

2
What candidates
want to know
9

Candidates who went to a small business were
more likely to face these roadblocks:
10
38%
28%
25%
34%
26%
27%
Not knowing what it's really
like to work at the company
Not hearing back after
applying to a company
Difficulty negotiating salary,
title, role, etc.
Job Switchers Who Joined an SMB
Job Switchers Globally
Show off your culture
across social media, your
website, LinkedIn Company
Page and job description.
Follow-up with every
candidate with a status
update, no matter where
they are in the process.

Those who would consider working for a small
business are most interested in…
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2. Perks and benefits
55%66%
1. Culture and values
50%
3. Mission and vision
Where to share these attributes with candidates:
• Job descriptions
• Company website
• Social media
• Blog posts & articles
• LinkedIn Company Page
• LinkedIn Career Page

12

13

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What to share about your company
15
Give an honest perspective
“Give a real picture of the company’s working environment, not the usual
made-in-heaven company profile.”
Explain what makes you different
“Share what makes the company different from its competitors and why a
potential candidate should apply for the position.”
Clarify the vision and strategy
“Information about the strategy/vision and ambitions of the company —
not just the headlines, but HOW they will achieve their ambitions/vision.”

Professionals don’t just want jobs, they
want to make an impact
The most common reasons why people accept a job at a small business:
16
They believed they would
have more ability to make
an impact
37%48%
The work sounded more
challenging
Beef up your job description
Instead of… “Identify and develop brand strategy.”
Try… “This is an opportunity to shape the company’s future. You’ll define
our brand positioning and build a strategic roadmap.”

17
Career trajectory
“Tell me how this will impact my career and how fast an employee can grow.”
Expectations and workload
“Avoid clichés in describing the job/company. Be honest and upfront with
what the expectations and workload will be.”
Day in the life
“Give a realistic day in the life of a person in that job. Good and bad. No
job is perfect and I know that certain bad things can be lived with and
certain bad things cannot.”
Win over candidates with this information:
Employee perspectives
“Connect me with insiders - nothing like hearing straight from the horse's mouth.”

3
Where to
find candidates
18

Those who recently went to work at a small
business heard about the new job through:
19
23%
14%
13%
Someone they knew at the company
Third-party website or online job board
A staffing or head hunting firm
It is helpful to be connected to people
who are currently in that role or a similar role
that I'm applying to or am interested in.
Damien McCreath
Senior Assistant Brand Manager
P&G

20
48%
of professionals who
accepted an offer at an SMB
weren’t aware of the
company when they first
heard about the job
Unfortunately,
candidates don’t know
much about you:

21
67%
37%
31%
59%
34%
26%
Look up the company’s
website
Read articles about the
company online
Look up company's
employee profiles
Job Seekers Who Joined an SMB
Job Seekers Globally
Candidates are more likely to do their research
after first hearing about a job:
Get your SEO on. Ensure
your company and careers
websites are up to date and
search-friendly for job
seekers.
Rock your employee’s
LinkedIn profiles. Train
employees on how to build
a great profile and tell
compelling stories about
their job and the company.

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Here’s how the candidate journey
plays out on LinkedIn
We looked at the behaviors of millions of LinkedIn members, and
discovered the most common path from candidate to hired.
Connect
with an employee
at the company
Follow
your company
View
your job
GET
HIRED
View
your Company Page
View
your Career Page
Reach out
to an employee or
apply to a job
25

Takeaways
26
1. Candidates want to hear from you. Help them find you.
The candidate journey starts early and has many steps. Help them discover you well before you
apply by investing in common channels that candidates use before they apply to your jobs.
2. Candidates want to know your culture, values, and careers.
Use your online channels to communicate what makes your company unique. Revamp your job
descriptions to highlight the challenging work and performance impact.
3. Find candidates by empowering your employees.
Employees are the first and last touch point in a candidate’s journey to your company. Make
them aware of your open roles and referral program. Equip them to be brand ambassadors.
Jobs › Jobs Slots › Recruitment ads ›
Company Page › Career Page ›
Referrrals ›

Resources you can use
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2016 Talent Trends
http://bit.ly/29MqY7x
LinkedIn Talent Blog
talent.linkedin.com/blog
The Recruitment Video Playbook
http://bit.ly/29TUrk1
Jobs Postings Starter Kit
http://bit.ly/29HCqWs

LinkedIn Talent Solutions offers a full suite of tools
to help you find, attract, and hire top candidates.
Contact us to learn more.
Call
855-655-5653
or visit
bit.ly/contacttalentsolutions
Q&A