From the outset of 2023, it continues to be difficult to source Talent across a range of sectors not just in the UK but within EMEA, US and Australasia.
In the current market where experienced talent is in limited supply compared to the still solid demand from available roles, there is a heightened requirement for us to take a ‘wider’ view in selecting and shortlisting candidates when recruiting for our client.
This shouldn’t mean dumbing down on delivering quality people.
A more flexible approach to recruitment, can be just as effective if we focus on the core competencies that measure candidate’s abilities to deliver within each specialist role.
I recommend these 4 steps for an effective process:
1. Define and agree the core competencies that our client requires to achieve the measurable objectives for each of the role’s key responsibilities. This includes the discussion with our client of the potential to allocate some of the more senior responsibilities to others’ roles within the business, temporarily or long-term.
2. Determine a minimum level for each of the core competencies required for this role and detail how you’ll measure them. What does ‘good’ look like?
3. Formulate your interview questions (potentially behavioural questions and STAR technique) to assess each candidate’s abilities to deliver the job responsibilities based upon these core competencies. The examples they provide to demonstrate the competencies, may be from within different but similar roles and may also be from within different but ‘aligned’ sectors.
4. If you’re recruiting for a replacement, these candidates may not be at the level of the person who’s left, but they may still be someone who is capable of fulfilling the key parts of the role. We need to agree with our client, that the incumbent left for a reason(s) and it may be that the budget is no longer the market rate for all of this role.
There will always need to be a balance between the ability to deliver to the requested results, versus the candidate’s potential to add value now and increasingly into the future.
Being clear on what we need and being well prepared in using the core competencies for each role, gives us greater flexibility and importantly more opportunity to attract the best talent. Isn’t that what we all want?
As a recruiting manager or in a Talent Acquisition role, you may find recruiters offering you some alternative / workable solutions. So, as long as their proposals are logical, commercial and focussed on the core competencies, then it’s likely it will be worth your consideration.
How clear are you on the core competencies required for your role(s) and thus able to assess workable options?
As a recruiter, how focussed are you on agreeing flexibility and delivering workable solutions?
