Filling the Talent ‘gap’- Recruiting tips that matter in 2016

Can you guess what the recipients of Fortune’s ‘100 best companies to work for’ 2015 award reported as their single biggest focus for 2016?

Employee development - the ability to hire the right people for the job (think innovative thinkers with a tolerance to ambiguity) and to be able to work with their abilities, skills and talents to develop them into valuable, driven and productive employees.

In most companies today, where job responsibilities, KPIs and work priorities vary so frequently, the difficulty of recruiting and retaining staff is receiving increased recognition amid this shifting scene. Additionally, the needs of employees (especially Millennials) are changing, and employers must respond. It all adds up to a bigger, more complex role for a company’s human resources function than has ever been seen before.

Attributes such as innovative thinking and the ability to produce work that hits the mark, increasingly relies on collaboration and high level cognitive thinking. According to a 2015 World Economic Forum study, half of employers globally expect their business performance to suffer due to gaps in talent. 

The following tips when you are considering hiring individuals with the aim of ‘filling’ the talent gap should be kept in mind.

Soft skills are important.

Consider candidate’s soft skills like their interpersonal effectiveness, communication skills, thought processes and emotional intelligence. Remember if you hire them you will have to work with them!

Check social media profiles.

How that person behaves on social media is a good indication of what kind of person the individual is and how the candidate might fit into your company's culture.

Ask the right kinds of questions.

It’s important for you to get a feel of how the candidate responds to a variety of questions - do they blame someone else for leaving their past organisation or give short one-word responses throughout the interview? Their degree of professionalism when responding is a good indicator of how they will act in your workplace. 

Let candidates interview you, too.

Don't be the only one to ask questions. To help determine if your prospective candidate has the right personality for your particular job, it's important to help that person understand the company's work environment.

Don't judge a book by its cover. 

It's easy to write off candidates based on their appearance, but it's more important that you consider how well they can do the job and if they're a good fit in other ways. John Schwarz, CEO and founder of workforce analytics company Visier comments:
"I have had the experience of hiring kids from school who were disheveled, unpresentable [and] inarticulate, but who had a very strong visceral commitment to what they were doing and passion for what they wanted to be," Schwarz said.

Above all, take the time to really think about what kind of person would be a good match for your organisation. Consider their skills - both hard and soft, experience, online presence and their personality when making your decision. What value can they bring to you and your company in today’s competitive and innovative global market? 

Questions Job Seekers Should NOT Ask in the Interview

A few weeks ago we told you all how to ‘turn the tables on the interviewer’ by asking intelligent, knowledgeable and considered questions to impress your interviewer and give you an edge over other applicants.

To equip you with the right questions, it is essential you also are aware of questions you should not ask in the interview.

What does this company do?

Always do your research on the company prior to the interview. Being prepared will ease your nerves and may help you anticipate some questions. Linking back your responses to the core business activities will strengthen your case and impress your interviewer. Not knowing what the company does may come across as insulting to an interviewer and this may seriously hurt your chances of progressing to the next stage.

What is the pay?

The purpose of the first interview is to see how you present yourself, your skills and experience and to gain a greater insight into how you might fit into the company. In other words, are you the right fit for the culture and role within the company? If you progress to the next round, questions around pay and remuneration are acceptable but hold out until this time.

What are the hours?

When you start asking eager questions about the hours and work schedule in the first interview, this could cause the interviewer to doubt your level of commitment to the role. No one wants to be known as the person who leaves at five o’clock on the dot, regardless of progress made. Unless there’s the possibility that you would be working “shift work” you should stay away from time related questions.  Other similar questions that you should avoid are:

• How many breaks do you have and for how long?
• Can I work from home?
• Am I required to be in the office every day?

What are the benefits?

Similar to the pay question, this could signal to interviewers that you are more concerned with ‘perks’ of the job, rather than what value you can bring to the role and what value the job can give you in terms of career progression, job satisfaction and engagement.

Final Tip

Your first interview is a time to demonstrate your expertise and skills, as well as learn more about the company and position.  Stick to questions related to the company and the job responsibilities.  By doing this, you will leave a great impression on the interviewer and this will increase your chances of progressing to the next round and finding out the answers to the questions mentioned above!

Make sure some of your questions are related to the mission vision strategy of the company – enough so that you can intelligently talk about ‘where the company is going’ and infer the competence and competencies it will require to get there – which is where you come in! Be careful of asking purely operational questions as this may indicate that you need an operational plan to function, rather than follow a strategic plan.

Turning the Tables on the Interviewer

At the conclusion of nearly every interview, interviewers are likely to ask if you have any questions. Let’s not sugar-coat it- this is a test! The questions you ask will inform the interviewer about you as much as previous questions they have asked you. So just like you would prepare your answers, come prepared with questions to highlight your knowledge, enthusiasm and motivation to secure the job. 

Here are some suggestions for the kinds of questions you could ask:

1. What do you consider the essential qualities to become successful in this position?

This question highlights to the interviewer that you are interested in achieving your best and demonstrates you must also possess the drive and commitment in pursuing success. It also demonstrates a genuine interest in understanding what the organisation views as success. What organisation wouldn’t value a candidate who strives for success?

2. What experiences and skills would represent an ideal candidate for you?

This question will encourage your interviewer to pin point the key qualities and experience they are looking for in an ideal candidate. This gives you an opportunity to remind them of any skills or experience you didn’t mention during the interview.

3. Are there opportunities for training and education in this position?

This question shows your drive for learning, which is an invaluable quality in a candidate. It also demonstrates your willingness to expand your knowledge and grow with the employer which is great news for them if they are going to invest time and money in your development and training (hint hint-retention).

4. What are the organisations plans for growth?

This question allows you to add an observation or two that reflects the extensive research you conducted prior to the interview. This will give you a final opportunity to impress the interviewer about your knowledge and interest in the organisation which shows promising signs of commitment. It is also important for you to understand where the organisation is heading and whether you can envision yourself becoming part of their strategy.

5. What can I expect in the next stage of the recruitment process?

The ideal question to finish up with! This question shows you are aware of the complexities and often time consuming process of recruitment- but also indicates to the interviewer you are keen to progress and move forward to the next stage. You may even be able to gauge how many others they are interviewing for the position or how close they are to securing their ideal candidate!