Finding talented people that fit your organisation can be a difficult task - not only someone that has the skills and aptitudes you're looking for to successfully undertake the role, but also a person that is culturally the right fit for your organisation.

We seem to have ebbs and flows with skills and talent shortages. Now that the economy is cautiously optimisitic, the shortage seems to be returning. A 2010 quarterly business manager survey by the RCSA found that, amongst other things, it is becoming harder to find appropriate candidates.

I have blogged previously about making sure you sell your organisation and the job's benefits to attract interest, but where does the average HR Manager go to find talent? Evidently advertising on job boards is not always the path to success.

It could be that parts of the job process aren't quite right:
- perhaps the job ad is not written to actively capture the attention of the ideal candidate;
- perhaps it is and the ideal candidate's CV is lost in the mountain of applications that appear
- perhaps the ideal candidate is not looking at job boards as they're perfectly happy where they are - but may be amenable to a tap on the shoulder?

There are many more ways to attract above-average performers to your business than just writing an ad for a job board - we do it every day for our clients.

How do you go about finding the best people for your business?

'til next time,
Claire.

Backing up an article in our HR newsletter about Employee Retention, a recent global study has found Australian employees are more likely to change employers within the next 12 months than staff in 16 other countries around the world.

The data suggests employees’ lack of commitment to their current organisation is linked to Line Manager Capability and Career Progression.

When asked whether their line manager inspired them to work more effectively, over a third of surveyed employees from Australia were neutral. Further, a quarter disagreed with the statement, ‘I receive regular and constructive feedback on my performance’.

These are worrying signs. It is well known in HR circles that employees leave managers, not organisations. Having uninspiring leaders who don’t provide comment and feedback on performance does nothing for keeping your employees engaged and challenged in their roles.

When asked to rate the statement ‘opportunities for career advancement at my organisation are based on merit’ a startling 60% were either neutral or negative. Coupled with a third being neutral and almost a quarter negative towards the statement ‘I am satisfied with the opportunities I have to get a better job in this organisation’, it becomes apparent that Australian employees don’t feel their career progression is high on the list of their employer’s priorities.

Talented people are largely motivated by the opportunity to develop and be challenged in their careers. If you are not providing your top performers with this crucial element, for the most part it won’t matter how much you pay them – sooner or later they will get bored or will be poached by someone else that is happy to stretch their abilities and watch them grow. Likely this will be one of your competitors!

Considering the cost of recruitment can run into tens of thousands and the cost of a bad recruit up to around the $60,000 mark (read the article here) it makes sense to hold on to the people you have, particularly your top performers. But that’s a topic for another time.

What are you doing to ensure your talented people want to stay and help your business succeed?

‘til next time,

Claire.

A recent article on the unemployment rate remaining steady and its effects on our currency and interest rate levels (read it here) states that there is an increased proportion of people looking for work. It suggests that with Australia’s growing population, new jobs need to be created to keep up with our expanding workforce.

This got me thinking – what effect does an expanded workforce have on the war for talent? What do companies need to do to attract – and then keep - the best talent when their competitors are hiring and more people looking to be hired?

In a time of tightened recruitment budgets, a company needs to communicate value to prospective employees to pique their interest enough to apply. No longer is it enough to post an ad on a job board and wait for an influx of applications (you may still get the influx, but there is likely a high proportion that will be unsuitable for the role you’re trying to fill).

Should putting some thought into the kind of person you want to attract to your company and what their circumstances and aspirations are come in to play as much as their previous experience, skills and qualifications?

The Influencers of Employment Choice Global Research Study surveyed more than 400 employees worldwide on what influences their employment choice.

Not surprisingly, the factors vary according to gender. As an example, females surveyed were six times more likely to be influenced by flexible working patterns. They are also attracted to companies who communicate a friendly working environment.

Male respondents cited attraction to the opportunity to work with thought leaders and an innovative culture.

The study also provides interesting insights into motivations across age, region, organisation type and more. Read more information on the study here.

Most of the job ads I see are still written in the mould of the past – this is the job, this is what you will have to do and this is what you need to have done/studied to be considered.

Rarely is there mention of the benefits of the role or of the organisation, yet clearly there are factors unrelated to job duties that will entice talented individuals to work hard in helping your company to grow.

What are you doing differently to attract outstanding performers to your business?

‘til next time,

Claire.

I’ve recently been looking at some new assessment tools to help with finding the best candidate for a role. Good news: I’ve found some great ones!

In conjunction with skilled behavioural interviewing and comprehensive reference checking, psych testing can be a great indicator of a person’s ability and personality – knowledge of which is essential when you’re trying to fill a job. Testing gives you an idea of their work style, leadership qualities, conflict resolution, motivations, and in these tests I’ve recently discovered – sales skills.

Testing a candidate may highlight for you where their strengths lie and also where there is room for improvement. That means the skills identified as non-negotiable-and-the-candidate-must-definitely-possess-these in your search for a particular role can be directly ascertained through psych testing.

Other skill areas that are perhaps less strong but can be developed are also highlighted – so you already know what to set as performance goals for your candidate before they’ve even started!

The tests meet the key quality standards of the European Federation of Professional Psychologists Association’s EFPA Review Model and are based on large or very large sample sizes.

They’re available online, don’t take long at all (20 minutes maximum) to complete and a report is available within one working day. And the best news is that they’re not cost prohibitive!

If you’re interested in chatting to me about testing, if you’d like to see a sample report or if you just want to know how much it’s going to cost you, feel free to contact me.

‘Til next time.

Claire.