The problem is that many employers are guilty of entering the search with a checklist in hand filled with specific skills to tick off. But in today’s job market, you simply can’t be such a fussy connoisseur. Getting the right people to join your team is crucial to every business’s success, of course, and we are by no means suggesting that you should give the job to any old person! It’s simply about opening the mind to the potential that a candidate might have in the future, rather than right now.
Look for the transferable skills and qualities that a candidate would be bringing with them to your company, and their potential to pick up and learn those more specific skills that you were originally hunting for. Focus on finding a flexible person who you can then mold into your perfect employee – instead of wasting time searching for a pre-fabricated (and currently non existing!) model.
For job seekers, it is more important than ever to put yourself forward as a candidate who is willing to embrace new skills and take on new challenges. But also be sure to highlight the transferable skills you possess – from decision making to enthusiasm or teamwork (find out more about transferable skills on the Career Ambitions blog). If you do all this, while you may not seem the perfect candidate on paper, you could just be their perfect candidate in real life!
Going back to the research, PwC found that “93% of business leaders say they need to change their strategy for attracting and retaining talent, but over two-thirds of UK businesses haven’t taken any steps to do this yet”.
Be at the forefront of this recruitment change, and give yourself the best possible chance of finding your perfect employer/employee match before someone else snaps up the potential.
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” ~ Charles Darwin
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Are there NO skilled people left in the job market?
25 June 2014
According to a recent survey by PwC, more than two thirds of UK businesses are beginning to panic about finding new employees who possess the skills they require. It’s a hot topic at the moment, as businesses are beginning to bounce back and grow at an almighty speed. But many are finding their ambitions for growth hampered, when their search for new employees comes up cold.