SMBs Across the U.S. Pledge to Do Whatever It Takes to Win the War for Top Talent

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - Sep 30, 2015) - Jazz, a venture-backed recruiting software company that has helped more than 4,000 employers optimize both how and who they hire, today released its inaugural 2015 Hiring Outlook Report, conducted with The Starr Conspiracy Intelligence Unit. The report uncovered hiring and retention strategies from SMBs across the country -- along with some unconventional measures they're willing to take to land and retain high performers.

Hot Pursuit of the Elusive A-Player
According to the U.S. Labor Department's July Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, there are 5.8 million job vacancies across the U.S. This combined with a steady unemployment rate of 5.3% means it's becoming increasingly difficult for companies to recruit and retain quality candidates, which can stifle growth, revenue, and profits.

With attractive alternatives luring companies' best talent, the pressure is on for hiring managers to not just find, but keep, their most impactful employees. Jazz's 2015 Hiring Outlook Report found:

• Nearly 70% of executives trust their guts when it comes to hiring and are willing to stake their reputation on making a hire who may not look the part, but whom they believe is the right candidate
• 54% of executives would pass on a safe hire to take a risk on a potentially transcendent performer
• Although more than half of employers believe they are excellent at interviewing (58%) and assessing (54%) candidates, nearly half (48%) still say they currently have weak talent links in their organization

"Top-performing businesses understand that quality talent is the key driver of business success, so it's not surprising to see employers more willing to take a risk on a candidate with star potential versus settling for 'good enough,'" said Jazz founder and CEO Don Charlton. "We live in a winner-take-all marketplace, and smart employers know that if you want a top performer, you have to look beyond the job description and carefully evaluate organizational culture and team fit."

Businesses Adopt a "Whatever it Takes" Attitude to Land Top-Notch Candidates
In today's competitive market, employers realize that candidates are in the driver's seat, and Jazz's 2015 Hiring Outlook Report found that 67% of executives -- from the C-suite to HR and department heads -- have a "whatever it takes" attitude about landing the best candidate.

To compete in the talent wars, SMB executives are willing to make bold moves to attract the best candidates:

• 60% of C-level executives and 47% of HR/recruiting managers would poach from the competition
• 32% of executives and HR/recruiting managers would allow a candidate to customize their job title once hired, as would 49% of C-level executives
• 39% of C-level executives and 25% of HR/recruiting managers would post a fake job review on a review site to boost rankings

View from the Top: Rosy Tint to C-Suite Perspective on Hiring and Growth
Jazz's study revealed a disconnect between the C-suite and "boots-on-the-ground" employees when it comes to hiring: 90% of C-level leaders believe their organizations are ready to hire top performers, while only 70% of mid-level leaders believe the same.

C-level leaders also tend to give candidates the benefit of the doubt, and are far more likely than functional leadership to take a chance on an unconventional hire, with 42% willing to compromise on hiring standards and settle for less -- a stark contrast to the 15% of functional leaders who would do the same.

The C-suite also tends toward a more favorable view of its own organization's personnel diversity. Seventy-nine percent of C-level executives believe their organization makes highly objective and bias-free hiring decisions, compared with 66% of HR/recruiting managers. They are also more likely to view their own organization as ethnically and racially diverse (86% and 79% respectively) than mid-level leaders (66% and 64% respectively).

C-Suite Ready to Go the Extra Mile for Worker Satisfaction
According to Jazz's 2015 Hiring Outlook Report, to retain top performers, C-level executives are especially open to adopting unconventional policies that can increase employee satisfaction when compared to their colleagues:

• 54% of C-level executives would be willing to provide generous work from home flexibility, compared to 51% of HR/recruiting managers and 36% of department heads
• 53% would offer a four-day work week, compared to 40% of HR/recruiting managers and 19% of department heads
• 47% would get rid of titles and/or adopt the holacracy management approach, versus 34% of HR/recruiting managers and 17% of department heads
• 46% would provide unlimited PTO, compared to 34% of HR/recruiting managers and 15% of department heads
• 44% would provide or subsidize pet daycare, compared to 29% of HR/recruiting managers and 14% of department heads

About the Research Study
This study was conducted online within the United States by The Starr Conspiracy Intelligence Unit on behalf of Jazz, May 21-June 1, 2015, among a nationally representative research panel of small and mid-sized business professionals which generated 267 survey responses.

About Jazz
Jazz is on a mission to make recruiting and hiring easy, effective, and scalable no matter what growth looks like to your company. To do that, Jazz not only gives you three platform options, we've created a whole new thing: Performance Recruiting™. Learn more about Performance Recruiting™ and how Jazz can help improve both how and who you hire at Jazz.co.