Attracting the right candidates or finding qualified and right fit candidates have always been a challenge for recruiters. The pandemic Covid 19 and the post pandemic implications have added to the problems both for the recruiting companies and the candidates seeking employment. After the pandemic, most sectors showed a dclining trend in recruitment. But gradually things are beginning to look up with more hiring in sectors like IT, health care, construction and FMCG. However, in sectors like travel, tourism and hospitality, it is taking time to revert back to previous times. Small-sized organizations are leading the hiring numbers in all these industries, followed by medium and large-sized organizations.
Some of the recruitment challenges include retaining top talent, keeping up with changing technology, hiring fast, managing remote hiring & onboarding, building a strong employer brand, managing expectations of the job market and ensuring a good candidate experience. Due to shifting demographics in the workplace, it is expected that by the year 2025, over 75% of employees will demand hybrid or remote work. Therefore, to the extent possible employers should consider offering hybrid work schedules.
According to a study there is a significant skills gap with 64% of managers opining that their employees are unable to match skill needs, and 70% of employees admitting to not mastering the skills for their current job. Infact, this has been the lament amongst employers in India for quite some time. Qualified candidates are given over a year's intensive training by Infosys followed by evaluation and tests to get them to be company ready to handle assignments.
I am reminded of the views expressed by Justice Ram Mohan Reddy, High court of Karnataka in his inaugural address during the "Industrial Relations Summit-2015- Make in India Challenges for sustained Industrial Relations." He had said " Today substandard manpower is coming out from the colleges whether it is engineers, ITI trained persons or other professionals." He also pointed out that the quality of the faculty in teaching institutions are compromised and persons who have passed out in a year are employed as teachers in the next academic year. "What can be expected of their prowess in teaching?" he had asked.
From the point of view of a candidate seeking employment, apart from the core skills, he/she would do well to upskill with additional digital tools for enhancing performance and staying ahead of the game. Emerging jobs become accessible to those learning the right skills. Companies across the world are increasing their investment in talent, notwithstanding borders. Therefore, there is no dearth of opportunities for competent candidates.
From the employers' point of view, as discussed earlier in the post, on the one hand there are more number of job aspirants lacking the required skills while on the other hand there is a shortage of candidates with the right skills and competency. Highly skilled, quality employees have the chance to exercise their pick of job roles and organizations Therefore attracting them over the competition and retaining your own talent is a major challenge. There is no room for complacency despite the effects of the pandemic for attracting the best and retaining them. In this connection maintaining a strong employer brand with a healthy reputation is crucial.
70% of high quality candidates do not apply to a company that has a bad reputation. As discussed in the post on job description, being clear and concise with your job descriptions would help considerably in obtaining the right candidate. HR needs to look beyond the obvious when assessing a candidate’s compatibility and also use appropriate software that supports this approach. Look out for those with a proactive mindset, a cultural fit and one who sees opportunities in all situations.
It is important to keep candidates informed about the progress and decisions made during the recruitment process. Unselected candidates can be kept in the candidate pool as part of your recruiting strategy. By keeping an open channel of communication, you may be able to re-engage them for a future position. Another way to attract talent is to offer unique perks and benefits which employees 'actually want' (eg Private health care package) so that you stand out from your competition. Apart from company's standard platforms, using social media is a great way to widen the net and target potential talent. It also serves to build your brand.
Some of the recruitment challenges include retaining top talent, keeping up with changing technology, hiring fast, managing remote hiring & onboarding, building a strong employer brand, managing expectations of the job market and ensuring a good candidate experience. Due to shifting demographics in the workplace, it is expected that by the year 2025, over 75% of employees will demand hybrid or remote work. Therefore, to the extent possible employers should consider offering hybrid work schedules.
According to a study there is a significant skills gap with 64% of managers opining that their employees are unable to match skill needs, and 70% of employees admitting to not mastering the skills for their current job. Infact, this has been the lament amongst employers in India for quite some time. Qualified candidates are given over a year's intensive training by Infosys followed by evaluation and tests to get them to be company ready to handle assignments.
I am reminded of the views expressed by Justice Ram Mohan Reddy, High court of Karnataka in his inaugural address during the "Industrial Relations Summit-2015- Make in India Challenges for sustained Industrial Relations." He had said " Today substandard manpower is coming out from the colleges whether it is engineers, ITI trained persons or other professionals." He also pointed out that the quality of the faculty in teaching institutions are compromised and persons who have passed out in a year are employed as teachers in the next academic year. "What can be expected of their prowess in teaching?" he had asked.
From the point of view of a candidate seeking employment, apart from the core skills, he/she would do well to upskill with additional digital tools for enhancing performance and staying ahead of the game. Emerging jobs become accessible to those learning the right skills. Companies across the world are increasing their investment in talent, notwithstanding borders. Therefore, there is no dearth of opportunities for competent candidates.
From the employers' point of view, as discussed earlier in the post, on the one hand there are more number of job aspirants lacking the required skills while on the other hand there is a shortage of candidates with the right skills and competency. Highly skilled, quality employees have the chance to exercise their pick of job roles and organizations Therefore attracting them over the competition and retaining your own talent is a major challenge. There is no room for complacency despite the effects of the pandemic for attracting the best and retaining them. In this connection maintaining a strong employer brand with a healthy reputation is crucial.
70% of high quality candidates do not apply to a company that has a bad reputation. As discussed in the post on job description, being clear and concise with your job descriptions would help considerably in obtaining the right candidate. HR needs to look beyond the obvious when assessing a candidate’s compatibility and also use appropriate software that supports this approach. Look out for those with a proactive mindset, a cultural fit and one who sees opportunities in all situations.
It is important to keep candidates informed about the progress and decisions made during the recruitment process. Unselected candidates can be kept in the candidate pool as part of your recruiting strategy. By keeping an open channel of communication, you may be able to re-engage them for a future position. Another way to attract talent is to offer unique perks and benefits which employees 'actually want' (eg Private health care package) so that you stand out from your competition. Apart from company's standard platforms, using social media is a great way to widen the net and target potential talent. It also serves to build your brand.
Recruitment is a tough and challenging task. One is the difficulty of getting the right type of people. And secondly, the difficulty of giving them a good pay packet.
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