Maybe you’ve noticed that the entire professional landscape looks completely different now than it did 10-15 years ago.
A lot has changed: The rise of remote work and the gig economy, the ever-increasing influence of social media (for better or worse), and the advancement of technology have all changed the way we approach our work.
But that’s not all. The employer-employee dynamic has changed, too — and that shift has made it more challenging than ever for employers to attract the right people for the right roles.
You know what we’re talking about. If you’re a hiring manager or business leader, you’ve probably experienced this firsthand. As the number of professionals looking for work has decreased, the country has opened millions of roles across all industries that need to be filled.
In particular, industries like healthcare, information technology, and travel are experiencing rapid growth.
How to find the right talent for the job, is the question. But top talent, as you’re aware, is scarce.
People are shifting careers or leaving the workforce altogether at an incredible rate. They call it The Great Resignation, and those who have left their day jobs behind in favor of greener pastures are in no hurry to return. With concrete skills and experience in relatively short supply, employers often find themselves caught in bidding wars as the few candidates they may have take their time weighing their options and negotiating for the best possible package.
That makes hiring in today’s market a high-stakes competition — but one in which fully developed talent strategies can help companies stand out and create a competitive advantage.
Using sophisticated job technology to assess and evaluate the skill levels of current and potential employees is a great start, but in today’s unpredictable market, there’s a lot more to it.
Let’s discuss a few ways you can attract — and retain — the talent your organization needs and wants.
Clarify Your Staffing Needs
You can’t build an exceptional team if you don’t know what roles are most critical. Start by reviewing your organization’s strategic business plan, which will give you an idea of how you should align your people strategy with overarching objectives. Once you have a clear picture of what the business is working towards, you can assess the current staffing environment and pull actionable insights from the data.
Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll need to know to find the right talent:
- The number of people on staff
- Current skill levels and competencies
- High performers and potential leaders
- Low performers or flight risks
- Staff age and tenure (to anticipate retirement numbers)
- Roles and responsibilities of each position
With your assessments (and an outline of future needs) complete, you can compare both reports and address any inconsistencies. What’s been missed? Do you need to invest more in hiring or retaining employees — or both? Are there skills missing from your current workforce that you need to achieve specific goals?
Craft Engaging Job Descriptions
Now you know where the gaps are and which roles will add the most significant value to your organization and your customers. So, it’s time to write a high-octane elevator pitch that’s clear, informative, and engaging. If you don’t knock this one out of the park, you’ll probably find yourself wondering why so few candidates are knocking at your door. Certainly, there’s almost no better way to alienate job seekers than with a downer of a job description.
You need something that provides meaningful context without putting the reader to sleep with excessive corporate speak or jargon.
Here’s a few tips:
- Emphasize the skills and traits you’re looking for
- Refine your employee value propositions
- Provide insight into company culture and values
- Use language that attracts the kind of people you want to hire
- Proofread for grammar and punctuation
- Be transparent about benefits and salary
- Keep it between 300 and 650 words
Note: Trends show the prioritization of skills over diplomas and degrees may attract more candidates.
Know Who You Are and How You’re Perceived
When it comes to the hiring process, a little self-awareness goes a long way. But who you think you are as an organization and who the workforce believes you are don’t always align. And, more often than not, that old saying — perception is reality — holds true. That’s why you need to do your homework and find out how people view you out in the real world: are current employees happy and engaged? Do they feel valued? What feedback do you hear in exit interviews? Do corporate values support the actions of the company?
The answers to these questions matter. Professionals talk to each other, and if your company has a reputation for chewing people up and spitting them out, you’ll have little luck attracting any level of talent.
The Benefits of Job Technology to Find the Right Talent
You’re probably here because you take your responsibilities as a hiring manager very seriously. Most importantly, you’re looking for ways to elevate current employees while filling any number of internal gaps. And you know that the right people — with the right skills — are hard to find.
But if you can leverage data and analytics to identify critical competencies and behaviors, you might find your options aren’t as limited as they appear. The right tech can help you regain confidence and purpose in your hiring process — and perhaps even flip the employer-candidate dynamic back in your favor.
Visit us to learn more about our digital tools customized to help you build a stronger workforce.