There is no better moment than the present to reconsider hiring practices. There is a shortage of job seekers, employees are changing jobs frequently or quitting the workforce entirely, and companies face difficulties creating an inclusive and supportive environment. To lure prospects away from other companies, more will be required than conventional hiring techniques.
Here are a few methods to change up your hiring strategy to better achieve your hiring objectives.
Put skills in the spotlight
Companies who are having trouble recruiting qualified individuals might want to think about reducing some of the obstacles. Many employers have been rewriting their job descriptions to prioritize skills rather than requiring candidates to have specific degrees and years of experience, according to an analysis of recent job postings.
This hiring strategy of putting skills first or skills-based is working well. A customer support consultant role was recently tested by LinkedIn by substituting the prerequisites with a brief list of "preferred experiences" and offering an interview to anyone who could pass a two-part skills exam. The bulk of the trial's hired candidates would not have advanced via the company's previous hiring procedure.
Interview for potential
The battle is not over once talent is found. New employees should ideally view the position as a long-term commitment. Additionally, candidates who can assume a position with little to no training risk becoming disengaged from their work, cut off from their team, and eager to leave as soon as a better opportunity arises. Because of this, it could be worthwhile to take a chance on applicants who turn out to be a good cultural fit for the company but lack all the necessary technical abilities.
The key advantage of this strategy is that it gives new employees the chance to immediately learn alongside their colleagues. This might make all the difference in whether they stay and become committed team members because a lack of professional growth and promotion chances is one of the top reasons employees leave or consider leaving their jobs.
The difficulty in this situation is that a typical CV is insufficient to convey a candidate's potential or cultural fit. Employers can search for soft skills like critical thinking and problem solving, a desire and willingness to learn, and the capacity to take and implement feedback during the interview process, which is most likely how they will discover these character characteristics. These characteristics will aid new hires in developing the technical abilities they lack.
Use technology
Many employers increased their use of technology in their hiring practices as a result of the shift toward virtual recruiting during the pandemic. Here are some of the tools enhancing the hiring procedure today, aside from using an applicant tracking system to manage the candidate database and automate fundamental recruiting tasks:
Software: By linking job searchers with open positions, sourcing software automates outreach and frequently reaches passive prospects as well.
Social Media: Use various social networks to find qualified recommendation candidates.
Automate Scheduling: With the use of interview scheduling software, candidates can choose an interview time that is convenient for them without exchanging back and forth emails.
Screening: Automated screening tests provide a fair way to assess applicants' talents and determine whether they have the personality qualities necessary to succeed in the position.
A tech-driven hiring strategy has several advantages, including the promotion of inclusive and diverse hiring, the reduction of administrative labor, and the opportunity for recruiters to devote more time to cultivating connections with prospects.
Try some of these strategies, from changing the job description to investing in recruiting technology, to see if you can attract candidates who have previously been passed over. Employers will thus have access to a larger talent pool, and employees who previously wouldn't have been qualified for the positions would have the chance to demonstrate their potential.