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w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m N o v e m b e r 2 0 19 • I NSIGH T | 21 wages, the benefits, the stability? You need to figure that out before you put out the message that you're hiring. Otherwise, you could be wasting a lot of time." Videos are a key part of that message. Riba says more businesses are investing in producing videos featuring current employees to promote the company and its job opportunities. "Your current employees are your best recruiters. Putting together a short video where employees talk about why they like working for you can say a lot, especially to those passive job seekers," he says. "e other key thing is to make it easy for people to apply for a job with a couple of clicks. If you make it too hard, they may be turned off." Morella-Olson says the marketing rule that "you need to touch someone seven times with a message for it to sink in" also applies when it comes to attracting employees. "(Putting together a solid plan) is something that takes time, but the worker shortage isn't going away anytime soon." Riba echoes the comment, adding that 2025-2026 is when the number of available workers is expected to reach its lowest point based on demographic information before slowly increasing. "You need to plan for the long term and get down that message about why prospective workers should leave where they are currently and join you." Once you attract people interested in your business, Pantol says it's important to respond quickly so they don't lose interest. "e employer brand is so important, as is being responsive. It shows you care," she says. "For us, we have a response plan for Facebook in place. ere are three different layers to make sure messages are responded to in a timely manner. It really shows that commitment from the business and something employees can expect once they are on board." Texting with candidates? Whether it's because employers want to show their responsiveness or are looking to be hip, more businesses are exploring the option of texting with their job candidates. Since people are more inclined to read and respond to their texts, it is seen as a better way than email to connect on setting up or confirming an interview time or other time- sensitive messages (even if the text asks the person to check their email for more information). Experts say that before you adopt such a program, make sure you allow candidates the ability to opt in and that you initially identify yourself and keep messages short.