How to Recruit Talented and Workplace
Ready Employees Amongst a Large and
Growing Skills Gap
CareerZOT Talk by Kathy Seaton
Spring 2019
With unemployment at an almost 50-year low, recruiting
poses more and more of a challenge. And indeed, there is
a lot of research indicating that perhaps recent graduates
or even people already experienced in the workplace may
have significant gaps in skills compared to the needs of
recruiting managers.
For job recruiters, relevant job-related knowledge is more
important than degree attainment.
There is a trend now being implemented by colleges and
universities to offer different types of credentials, rather
than the traditional transcript, to better prepare students
for the world of work. And the compelling benefit of these
alternative credentials offers students immediate access to
the credential so that they may publish it on social media
quickly as they apply for positions.
But don’t count out university learning, as it is clear that
institutions of higher education are taking on a larger role
in post-graduate job attainment and are embracing
innovative models of learning that can provide learners,
young and old, the skills that are relevant today and will
be in demand in the future.
So how can we as leaders determine how to weed out the
underqualified candidates to focus on the ones that are
the right fit for the job?
Here are a few suggestions.
Build a strong employer brand.
Focus on building a well-known employer brand, you
won’t have to do as much active recruiting and the vetting
process will be much easier. You’ll be a highly desired
organization, flooding with appropriate applicants that
are ready to work.
Write better job descriptions.
Many companies write job descriptions that include long
lists of responsibilities and requirements, which may or may
not be attractive to candidates. Focus on what your
company can do for potential employees, and you’ll
attract candidates who better fit your needs.
Embrace digital trends and social media.
Most people want to work for companies that keep up with
the latest tech trends and the most significant aspect of
that is utilizing public social media profiles for candidate
research.
Find the right personality for the job.
Consider how a candidate’s personality aligns with the job
responsibilities. The type of person that you hire needs to be
in line with the culture of the organization and the individual
should be able to contribute to the brand in significant and
consistent ways.
Improve your interview strategy.
It’s important that you allow a candidate to interview you.
This will allow for a better alignment of each of your needs.
Remember that candidates have many
ways to vet your organization
It’s important to consider continual updating of corporate
websites and active involvement in social media. Clear and
concise content is key. Doing so can improve employee
retention and lead to more positive reviews that will attract
quality employees.
Read more at ce.uci.edu/careerzot