As businesses find themselves in a state of constant and rapid change, they need a workforce that can evolve with them. Skills-based recruiting allows organizations to equip themselves with employees who are better prepared for long-term success. Businesses are facing drastic disruptions and need to adapt to technological advances, digitalization, automation, and increasing globalization. And the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated these trends. It i,s thereof, re time to make a significant change in the way companies manage recruitment, actively creating the workforce needed to ensure the long-term future of the organization. But, even today, 82% of job offers ask for or show a strong preference for the experience of candidates, whether for a senior or junior position.
Looking to the future
Your business can’t move forward if your recruiting strategy is to look backward. Traditional recruiting involves replacing the workforce and filling vacancies with profiles similar to those before them. This leads to a stagnant workforce, which will lack the skills needed to meet the needs of the business in the long term. In fact, according to a study conducted by Florida State University, the years working for one or more companies in a field of activity demonstrates a candidate’s experience without evaluating the quality or importance of this experience or these experiences. According to Chad H. Van Iddekinge, “It is important to consider that a skill acquired in one organization may not help, or even hurt, the candidate’s performance in another company if that company operates differently or does not have the same culture. ” A study by Gartner Research found that only 29% of new hires are well-prepared and have the skills needed for their current role, and only 23% have the skills needed for the future. Even more worryingly, only 16% have both. The solution? Stop hiring to fill jobs and start hiring to address a skills gap. To do this, you need to determine what skills are needed for your company’s current and future goals. Try to take a holistic approach, considering both hard and soft skills. Once you’ve determined what skills your company is lacking, you can start hiring candidates with the right mix of skills.
Focus on potential…not experience.
While measuring a candidate’s experience may be easier to do than determining a candidate’s skills, given the skills shortage and candidate-driven marketplace, companies can no longer afford to eliminate candidates based solely on such limiting criteria. Shaping your workforce means hiring candidates based on their potential to succeed, not their past experiences, which may not necessarily predict their ability to perform in the future. Traditional recruiting focuses largely on finding candidates with “similar work experiences,” looking for experience in a similar role, sometimes even in the same industry. When recruiters are looking to build teams that are both talented and dynamic, they need to broaden their focus by looking beyond experience directly related to the organization. This will allow them to find candidates with transferable skills who will be better able to meet the short- and long-term needs of the company. These skills can come from different backgrounds and industries, from schools or personal projects, or from work experiences that may seem far removed from the role you are looking to fill but that include soft and hard skills similar to those needed by your organization. Hard skills are the easiest to teach, while soft skills, such as self-assessment, perseverance, stress management, communication skills, problem-solving skills, or decision-making skills, are what will most certainly determine the success of a candidate in a given position. These soft skills can be more difficult to develop on the job. During a recruitment process, it is therefore important to take them into account when choosing the candidate(s. The right combination of hard and soft skills can be the key to recruiting a flexible and adaptable candidate capable of evolving and growing with your company. Many companies don’t know how to assess a candidate’s potential. A resume is a testament to past experiences, but what tools can be used to predict future performance? At Academic Work, we conduct competency-based interviews to give us a better understanding of a candidate’s capabilities.
How to find and keep top talent?
Finding talented candidates can be difficult, keeping them even harder. This is especially true in high-demand industries like IT and tech. Understanding candidates’ soft skills gives you a first glimpse into their personality, allowing you to assess whether they are a good fit for your company and, just as importantly, whether your company culture and EVP (Employee Value Proposition) fit with their expectations and desires. Ensuring a candidate fits your company culture is key to creating employee engagement and building long-term team relationships. However, PVE expectations are constantly evolving, especially among young professionals. Employers today are in a candidate’s market. Our annual report, the Young Professional Attraction Index (YPAI), has consistently shown that high-potential candidates are carefully considering job opportunities, not only in terms of salary or job requirement , butt also in terms of company culture, CSR, and development potential. To shape your teams to meet the needs of your organization, you need to stay on top of what young professionals want in the workplace with tools like the YPAI, which allow you to constantly monitor feedback from candidates and current employees.
Looking beyond the traditional talent pool
Recruiting for transferable and soft skills often requires expanding your existing talent pool. Career fairs at educational institutions have long been a popular place to find promising talent. However, by limiting your search to this market, you are missing out on potential candidates who may have acquired the skills required through on-the-job experience, online courses o,r self-study. At Academic Work, we know where to look to access the entire skills market to find the right candidate profile. Using our services saves you time and money while ensuring you have access to a pool of candidates that match your business needs. Another benefit of hiring by skills rather than by vacancy is that it gives businesses access to alternative recruitment models. At Academic Work, we often find that short-term placement can be a better option than permanent recruitment when it comes to addressing a business’ skills shortage. By offering both recruitment and placement, we can tailor our offerings to meet our clients’ needs due to the flexibility of our options. Drastically changing your candidate search from recruiting to replace an internal position to recruiting for needed skills will positively impact your entire organization. This change will make it easier for you to achieve your goals. More importantly, it will allow your business to remain agile so that it can continue to evolve in an ever-changing world.
