How to deal with tight talent . . . Posted on June 26, 2012
Whether there is a skills shortage or an over supply of talent, there remains a pressing need to attract the right kind of talent to your doorstep. Ultimately, you want to attract the best on the market at any given time. With the competition for talent increasing on a daily basis, there is a need to make the application process as seamless as possible. There is an urgent need for organisations to review the practise of making candidates fill out long application forms. Today organisations need to “tease out” the required data from the candidate over a short period of time. This approach ensures that the candidate remains engaged. At the initial stages of their job inquiry with your organisation the candidate can simply and easily provide their contact details without being forced to complete a long list of questions. The application process is the first time the candidate gets to participate with your organisation. If the process is tedious, cumbersome and time consuming, the candidate may rightly or wrongly assume that this reflects the internal operations of your organisation. Whilst your marketing may say “we are friendly and approachable” your application process may suggest a different story. It is the candidate’s interpretation of the process that matters and it must be viewed with a high degree of respect. The outward communication to a candidate must reflect the culture and spirit of the organisation. If an organisation has a “hip and happening” culture, then this should be celebrated as part of the application process. The process does not need to be a “tick box” approach that follows the same theme as the competing business down the road. It is a chance to get the candidate speaking to others about just how different your organisation is. So celebrate this point of difference and get rid of the “stuffy and rigid” approach of yesteryear. It must be said that the organisation’s brand and overall culture is on display throughout the application process. It is akin to both candidate and employer being at a “dance” checking the other out. The better dancers on both sides get noticed. Let the candidate notice your organisation’s strengths by including them in