Here's a basic recruitment truth that will help with your candidate shortage and some examples you can act on now:

The more unnecessary barriers you put in your ideal candidate's way, the less likely they are to reach you, and worse still you may never even know where you went wrong.

Examples:

- if your advert doesn't tell your ideal candidate why they should apply, what's going to make them apply if they don't need a new job?
- if you demand a cover letter and they don't apply to jobs that demand cover letters, they won't apply (just read any post on this to see the strength of feeling)
- if you demand a CV and they haven't updated their CV because they too busy being amazing / living life / struggling through it... guess what
- if you demand an "apply now!" when they'd rather speak to you first
- if you don't list salary, and they are suspicious of jobs where salary isn't listed
- if you tell them you don't care about candidates when they are ambivalent about entering a recruitment process (looking at you "if you don't hear from us in 3 days...")
- if you keep adding interview stages when they've already got an offer
- if you mislead or faff about
- if you lowball
- if your offer, post offer and pre-start date comms are poor
- if your induction is poor...
- if your employment is poor...

These are all things that can push your ideal candidate away, when you should be doing everything you can to attract them towards you in as painless a way as possible.

And what's left are those that need a job who will put up with everything you threw their way.

Of course, those that are left who persevered with your recruitment process may be perfectly good, and deserving of a chance, and if you are happy with that - good for you!

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try and get rid of unnecessary barriers.

Especially if candidates are scarce.