With 30 million people employed in the UK responses to adverts, social networks and jobsites may be at an all-time low. But hundreds of thousands of people move job every month and you can still recruit more staff if you try hard enough, writes Clive Jefferys of Telecoms recruiter JMA Network.
So here's a few simple rules that every hirer should respect...
Don't seek perfection in a candidate, you'll be retired before that person presents itself. Every jobseeker offers current skills only as a platform for growing their future skills with you.
When agencies submit candidates ask them to show proof by email that they have told the candidate about you, by name. This is 2018, not 1988. The days of vague client job briefings and arguments over CV submissions must be consigned to history, for everyone's benefit.
Make yourself available to meet candidates as soon as possible. Once someone decides to move job, new offers will come very quickly and there's no sense in putting yourself at the back of the queue.
When you interview, simply ask candidates exactly what they will bring to your business. There's a million and one clever questions to ask, but how they will make a difference in your company is the single most important one.
Trial close before making every offer. When candidates say £40-45k, they actually mean £45k or more! Ask about the counter offers the candidate can expect, try to agree a specific package there and then.
And finally, keep your candidates close, all the way through their notice periods. You'll be far less likely to get a Dear John email the Friday before they were meant to start.
Recruitment isn't rocket science, it's only as complicated as you make it.