Recruitment challenges in 2016

Human resources professionals are constantly looking for the right candidates to fill vacant roles, while selecting individuals that will stay at a company in the long term. Most recruitment specialists will tell you it is the challenge that attracted them to the job, and in 2016 there are certainly some areas that will keep us on our toes.

Decreasing talent retention

Observers have tracked a decrease in talent retention in the UK over recent years. This means employees are getting itchy feet sooner, seeking out pastures new. It is recruitment professionals’ responsibility to marry together the most suitable candidates and companies, looking for the ingredients that will see new employees stay and grow with their new employer.

Addressing the skills shortage

Many employers are all too aware that there is a lack of skilled candidates in many sectors, from manufacturing to teaching. Despite companies’ improved skill development programmes, there will always be the immediate need to attract skilled candidates that are ready to fulfil the obligations of a role. As recruiters, we are constantly looking to unearth candidates that are able to meet skill requirements straight away.

The importance of pre-screening

Because skill sets are so crucial to the the decision process, it is important that recruitment specialists take some of the burden away from employers by handling a lot of the pre-screening themselves. This goes way beyond reviewing CVs, and includes competency tests, first stage interviews and background checks.

Attracting discerning candidates

Candidates that have glittering resumes can often afford to be choosy about where they work – and for this reason the best potential employees can be harder to pin down. That’s why the knowledgeable recruitment professional will use plenty of channels to attract the right candidates, not just the handful of job boards commonly frequented by every agency under the sun.

Communication is key

Where the hiring process if concerned, some employers inevitably take longer to make decisions, and it’s often no fault of their own. Every day business tasks simply get in the way of recruitment, until the need is so pressing it becomes a number one priority. For this reason, it is beneficial to have a recruitment partner that is able to communicate well with candidates during extended application periods, so as not to risk losing them.