Quality talent is something we are all looking for! We know the importance of getting it right, because the people who work in our organisations are valuable assets. But finding quality talent can be challenging and the aftermath of making a ‘bad hire’ can cost you greatly.
Quality talent means finding a new hire that brings value to your workforce.
You want team members who can make significant impact – not just people to fill a gap. You want the right person who will fit into your existing team, with the right skills to make a positive impact. So how do we do this?
Where do you find quality talent?
Current trends show that social media channels, such as LinkedIn and Facebook, are an exciting place to capture talent. There are several reasons for this:
1. You can post ads for free on multiple sites, update and create a buzz around your organisation, your branding and highlight what you offer your employees.
2. You can engage with passive candidates by gaining visibility outside of the traditional methods – these are the people who aren’t necessarily looking for new opportunities, but can be enticed.
3. You can attract more quality talent through paid advertisements, which can include tracking clicks and views.
Alternatively, internal hires are highly effective, as your current team members already know and love your organisation’s culture and direction. What better way to find great talent than to grow it yourself!
Other methods, such as recruitment agencies still work. However, working with an organisation that controls what talent walks through your doors is something of the past. You need to be more proactive with your recruitment. This is why having the best recruitment software tool is instrumental in hiring.
How do you attract quality talent?
Excite potential talent by offering the best place to work! Money isn’t everything (but it sure helps).
Convey IQ suggests that standing out from your competitors is your largest challenge. Employees’ needs have changed over the years. Today’s candidates are looking for employers that give back. Having a great reputation as an employer is key, but so is offering other benefits, such as but not limited to, wellness programs, or onsite fitness classes, free snacks, drinks or books. Another vital part of talent attraction is how you develop your team members.
As an employer you need to ask, ‘Are our managers approachable, do they take the time to get to know each member of their team?’. Research reveals that the quality of relationships between managers and/or supervisors and their team members create major differences in turnover and retention rates.
Why can’t I find any quality talent?
The Society for Human Resource Management conducted a survey of 3,300+ recruiters worldwide in 2016 and found that more than two-thirds of these organisations hiring staff indicated that they were having a difficult time filling job listings. Meanwhile, in March 2019 the unemployment rate (in Australia) increased by 17,100 and the last Census (in 2016) recorded that 56% of Australians are upskilling with post-school qualifications. This would suggest that more people are highly skilled, however, as many recruiters know too well, what candidates have in hard-skills, they are often lacking in soft-skills (such as problem-solving). Finding that balance between hard and soft skills is so important.
This leads to the question; how can we decipher what a candidate’s skills are prior to shortlisting and interviews?
One way is to use good quality questions in the application process to assist with vetting. Don’t settle for unqualified candidates and stay selective with whom you interview. Using online testing (such as skills and personality tests) and verifying backgrounds and qualifications prior to meeting a candidate in person can save you time, as you can be sure that they meet the specifications of your role.
Having a Candidate Management System (CMS) that facilitiates candidate screening enables you to identify quality talent faster, and with greater accuracy.
For instance, if your ideal candidate has: 2+ years’ experience in your industry, needs a tertiary qualification, a driver’s licence and needs to be able to demonstrate a high level of communication and interpersonal skills, then wouldn’t it be ideal to set up as automatic shortcuts in your application process?
Scout :Recruit has the incredible ability to build multiple rating and ranking shortcuts into a job listing. Furthermore, :Recruit can save time in advising unsuccessful candidates, and this too, is set up prior to advertising your role.
Known as a best-of-breed, software as a service (SaaS), our niche category is recruitment. Our platform provides these specialised features to meet your specific needs, and facilitates user-friendly, time-saving functionality. In short, Scout :Recruit is a powerful tool to assist in you finding your most valuable assets – quality talent!
