Bank accountant. Branch manager. Financial advisor. Loan officer. Senior portfolio manager. Teller.

Those are just some of the dozens of openings for banking jobs across the state. Yes, Kansas banks have jobs available, but finding the right people to fill those jobs is an ongoing challenge.

The reality is the focus of hiring has shifted to organizations being able to offer employee experience in addition to competitive pay. Increasingly, job seekers are demanding remote-work options, greater flexibility, and a stronger sense of purpose in their work. Skills development and good working conditions are other aspects that are high priorities for job seekers in today’s market.

Recruiters say overcoming these hiring difficulties may require adopting a mindset that fits an employee-centric market. Be prepared to answer for applicants — and early in the hiring process — questions about what you can do for them in terms of benefits, paid time off, work schedule, and work location.

“Frankly, applicants can be picky because it truly is a job-seekers market,” says Connor Cross, director of human resources for Syndeo, an outsourced HR provider based in Wichita. “I have had to change the way I approach hiring because now I hear those questions right out of the gate. It’s what the market is dictating.”

Not having satisfactory answers to those questions could cause a person to look elsewhere even before being interviewed. Meeting these demands could be the difference between landing your ideal candidate and having an unfilled position, or worse yet, positions.

Appealing to the job seeker

Employers are being challenged to offer paid time off upfront rather than a person accruing it over time after an introductory period. Job seekers also want a more defined career path and opportunities to be paired with a mentor who will guide them along the way to achieve those milestones.

Tuition reimbursement is another common demand from job seekers, as is longer-term paid maternity and paternity leave. That issue is being discussed more amid a growing push for federal legislation on the matter.

Meanwhile, the importance of communicating your bank’s culture and how your organization is adapting to meet employee-experience demands cannot be understated in a tight labor market.

Employers also need to be willing to incorporate flexibility into their jobs in order to satisfy another common job-seeker request. A LinkedIn analysis shows an 83% increase in job posts mentioning flexibility last year compared to job postings in 2019.

Salary assessments

While employee experience is a larger component of recruiting in today’s market, you still have to ensure your bank’s wages are competitive.

As such, requests for salary assessments are on the rise. Cross says employers want to know whether their wages are acceptable for their particular market and available positions.

These assessments often lead to adjustments in an employer’s starting wage, which aids recruiting.

Cross says the same commitment to competitive pay also should be applied to keeping existing employees by ensuring their wages are at or above market rates. Have a plan in place to adjust wages to market rates if need be. That’s something that can be done gradually as budgets allow.

Not focusing on retention can lead to employees leaving your bank and compound the recruiting challenges your organization is facing.

Hiring continues to be a challenge for Kansas employers. Help your cause by incorporating new recruiting strategies while not losing sight of retention.

You may be surprised by the results.