Finding & Retaining Talent

The staffing industry has experienced a hypercompetitive talent market over the past year. Organizations have struggled not only to fill their open positions, but also to retain their current staff. As a result of this extreme competition, one major trend we have experienced is a shift in the recruitment process. Organizations have started to invest more in the initial on the job training to enhance the candidate pool and upskilling to help retain current employees. Recruiters are no longer eliminating applicants because they do not meet criteria as we have seen in other markets. Hiring Managers are now more focused on soft skills–does this individual have the personality to grasp concepts on the fly and learn as they go?  Skills like good communication, leadership, and a strong work ethic can be vital as a new employee compared to prior on the job experience.

Benefits of Training Employees:

Investing in training an employee can often be difficult for employers when there is an immediate vacancy.  However, the commitment shown to the employee through training initiatives will lead to a clearly defined career path and a happier employee. One major problem employee’s face in their career is feeling stagnant. They have been in a role for a long time with no ability or understanding of how to advance their career. The value of a clearly defined career path can outweigh any kind of short-term shifts made to meet deliverables for a specific position. While this helps build a “promote from within culture”, it also gives you access to more candidates during the recruitment process and the ability to mold them specifically to the needs of your business.

Recruiters Getting Back to the Basics:

When screening candidates, don’t be too narrow minded. Determine what the candidate’s strengths are and what they want to do, then look to align them with any project need or vacancy within a company. The key takeaway in this market is to think in broad terms. Is there another need within the organization where this person can add value? Needs within an organization change rapidly and having the sense to look at the big picture can help you see value in a candidate that may not be recognizable at first. It is also important for recruiters to keep in mind the way candidate’s experience the recruitment process. Recruiters need to find a way to set themselves apart. Keep it simple and continue to rely on human interaction and relationships versus automated systems. The best way to enhance a candidate’s experience is for recruiters to be personal and have strong and clear communication.

Investing in Candidates with Strong Soft Skills:

Rather than chasing the elusive “perfect” candidate, you should think about finding promising candidates with skill sets that can quickly evolve, leading to long-term growth within an organization. Eliminating candidates who do not meet all the technical requirements is no longer an effective recruiting strategy in this current labor market. Recruiters have begun to shift their process to focus more on competencies and culture fit rather than a perfect technical match. Fitting into a company’s culture is more important than ever, and in return, more valuable than ever. In former markets, assessments and other aptitude tests were heavily used. While these tests are still often a part of the hiring process, they are taking a backseat to the full picture as they have resulted in longer recruiting cycles and a poor candidate experience. The key takeaway: Focus on soft skills and culture fit as it will provide you with access to a larger pool of candidates that often become the success stories of organizations.

Dylan McCaughan is a Business Development Manager in TEWS Technology Division