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Currently, the most important barrier to success faced by most sectors is the suffocating lack of computer talent. According to Gartner, the lack of qualified team members directly hampered the adoption of 64% of new technologies.
With the ever-changing digital workforce, competent IT specialists are in greater demand than ever before, but there is a growing skills gap. Korn Ferry found that by 2030, the U.S. could lose at least $ 162 billion in annual revenue if nothing changes.
This means that recruiters need to rethink how they look for the best talent. There is no room for mistakes or mistakes. A wrong move can cost a company huge amounts of profits. Unfortunately, many recruiters have not kept up with the hiring change, which has led to avoidable mistakes. Let’s look at seven cases where recruitment tends to fail.
1. Focus too much on your own needs
It’s easy to become self-employed when hiring computer talent. Companies are often so focused on what they need that they rarely stop to think about what their potential candidates may need.
You can think of it by using the analogy of “fitting a square peg into a round hole.” Recruiters need to pay more attention to the fact that a candidate sounds good on paper. Will they be combined with the company culture? Looking for non-financial motivators? If something goes wrong, don’t try to fit the talent into the job offer. There will be others.
2. Hiring KPIs
Some companies are handing out bonuses to find and incorporate new talent. While this may be a good incentive, it can also be a hiring disaster.
For example, hiring someone to close a KPI often means that talent is left behind once the quota has been filled. Unfortunately, it is common for no one to play an active role in talent development when KPIs are the main focus.
3. Override candidates’ expectations
This is a massive problem that the current recruitment market has highlighted a clear focus. Previously, when companies believed that candidates should court them, most did not feel the need to attend to what talent might expect or need.
However, in this new market where talent has more power, it is a mistake to assume that candidates will only “take what is given to them.” The best talents have many options, and they will not stay simply out of necessity or obligation if their employment situation is different from that advertised.
In a December 2021 poll conducted by SHRM, 65% of executives said they were “extremely concerned” about their company’s ability to recruit new talent.
Part of this problem is that many organizations do not have convincing and accurate employee value propositions. When it comes to hiring IT, this is a death knell for a company, because there is a shortage of skilled talent.
Related: Stop asking candidates to show why they are suitable for the job
4. Excessive communication
Becoming the sticky friend or significant person in the life of your hired potential is the fastest way to destroy any relationship you have built.
There’s a fine line between staying in touch and stifling your talent. Conventional wisdom says you should be in constant contact to “keep the candidates warm” throughout the process. However, most experts say that it is best to limit yourself to one meaningful daily contact unless there is a specific need for more. Talent will not appreciate a steady stream of calls, text messages, and emails. Doing so may hurt your candidate’s perception of the business.
Instead, during the initial stages of contact, ask how you want to contact them (phone, email, text messages, etc.) and how much information they would like. This is an easy way to inform your communication strategy and indicate that you are thinking about talent as a person.
5. Use money as the only motivator
Is money a powerful motivator? Absolutely. However, it is not as important in today’s recruitment market as it used to be. Qualified IT specialists can earn substantial salaries anywhere. What else can your company offer?
Meet your candidates. Find out what’s important to them. Do they have long-standing family obligations that require regular free time? Do you like spontaneous travel? Do you want easy access to health or fitness programs? Do they believe when they are assigned specific responsibilities?
Understand that most workers do not seek to make their careers an integral part of their own identity. The idea of a “successful career” no longer carries much weight, so the siren song of a package of high salaries and basic benefits is no longer enough. Take the time to find out what other things motivate your talent and see if your company’s culture fits.
Related: 6 ways to diversify profits to attract the best talent
6. Be inflexible
The digital pivot of the Covid-19 has permanently transformed the way we work. Now that employees understand how to work effectively remotely, most expect employers to offer some level of flexibility, even if they have to return to the office.
There is no room for rigidity in the current recruitment market. This applies to how, when, and where your talent works, but it also applies to the rest of the hiring process. Understand that “recruiting rules” may not apply the same way as before, especially because companies often try to attract the best talent instead.
Decide in advance which requirements are negotiable and which are not. Keep your mind open on flexible working hours, telecommuting, and hybrid work. Human Resources consulting expert Rey Ramírez told CNBC that companies that do not offer flexibility lose up to 70% of qualified candidates, which can be really disastrous for companies.
Related: 3 ways to fill your talent when tech workers leave the shores
7. Lack of real diversity
It’s no secret that diversity in the workplace is critical to business success. However, the candidates point out which organizations are only giving the floor to the cause and which ones put the action behind their words.
This goes beyond gender and race. For example, some companies may hire a superficially diverse range of people, but candidates find that they are all Americans with connections to old money and Ivy League titles.
True diversity means looking holistically at a candidate’s qualifications, motivations, and personality. Talent comes in all forms, and there are far more important traits than a college degree or specific training.
Businesses need all the help they can get to find the widest possible set of talent, especially for IT recruitment. There is intense competition in all sectors, and it is no longer simply a matter of who can pay the highest salary.
If your business suffers from any of these errors, there is no way to reach your full potential as an organization. Both companies and talent deserve the best, but the only way to achieve this is to avoid the mistakes mentioned above.