All human resources professionals are noticing that, for some time now, the search and identification of new professionals for our organizations seems to have become complicated. Even though we have defined a specific profile and with more tools at our disposal than ever, the general opinion is that there are fewer candidates, that it is more difficult for us to reach them and that they are not predisposed to a professional change. Therefore, rare are those who do not say to themselves “I can’t find the talented professionals I need. Now what do I do?”
The new paradigm of the labour market: What happens to talented professionals?
First of all, it is important to note that there are not fewer suitable people. People are still there and, as we mentioned, we have more tools at our disposal to reach them. So why does the interest seem lower?
This is due to the fact that in recent years we have been going through a profound paradigm shift in the labour market at a global level, but especially pronounced in countries that, like ours, have a high level of economic openness and a high rate of structural unemployment.
The pandemic and more recently the energy crisis, the large layoffs in technology companies and inflation have created a situation of insecurity and instability that our organizations are trying to overcome, with great efforts, in the best possible way.
Professionals, on the other hand, faced with a lack of stability in the medium term, try to avoid any type of exchange that involves the slightest risk. And all this at a time when administrations are experimenting with new formulas for organising work such as the extension (or not) of teleworking or the 4-day working week.
Therefore, from our role as human resources professionals we must be able to see beyond all this media noise and be aware that talent, although more insecure in the face of change, is there and is eager to find a new exciting project but with enough security to continue growing towards its self-realization.
There is no less talent, but the rules of the game have changed and we cannot continue to wait for people to come to us spontaneously. We need to update our processes, our tools and our communication to adapt to this new paradigm of the labor market in which the Person is the center of gravity. We must face the Challenges of talent in the 21st century.
Where do I start with the paradigm shift?
Imagine that a consultant contacts you to offer you a new job. What would you like to hear? You probably have a series of expectations related to a series of elements that this new challenge can provide you: work environment, flexibility, remote work, social benefits, training…
All those intangibles that were previously considered as an extra to the position and salary have become the protagonists of this new world. A professional in 2023 will not change positions just for an economic amount (unless it is striking enough), but they will consider it if we present them with a new radically different perspective. Another environment that enriches them, that fits in with their priorities, their values and that is willing to jointly create a new tailor-made professional development.
If we spend a third of our adult life working, after the last few years professionals are adopting a new attitude in which their work must be reinterpreted as one more facet, on an equal footing, with the rest of their lives. This new status therefore implies that those in charge of looking for this new talent must become animators, brand and project ambassadors and go on to explain what the project can offer them from a much more emotional and subjective perspective than until now.
Of course, this entire layer of motivation must be supported by a solid foundation of HR tools. Job descriptions, competency dictionaries, development plans and career plans, succession plans, and talent and performance evaluations continue to be the cornerstone on which we will build this whole new framework in which our organization becomes a healthy environment that attracts, nurtures, and makes our professionals flourish.
Values: the key to the commitment of talented professionals.
There is a maxim that says:
“Coherence is the mother of intelligence.”
When it comes to attracting and engaging talent, there are few things worse than creating false hope. There is a fine line between getting excited about a project and excessively embellishing things until they deform them. If we fall into this mistake, all this talent that is increasingly based on emotional elements will also be disappointed from an emotional perspective, something very difficult to redirect.
So, let’s communicate, let’s communicate, let’s communicate. We must not allow people to feel forgotten or undervalued and we must communicate at all times those values that make us special and that our candidates hope to find in us.
If they value sustainability, let’s prove it. If you appreciate flexibility above all, let us give concrete examples of flexibility.
Values and our ability to transmit them weigh as much or more than the conditions of a job offer and will be our letter of introduction… But let’s not forget that values are also one of our most powerful tools for linking internal talent.
Techniques beyond Employer Branding to find the talented professionals I need.
We could go on as long as we would like on this point. There are a large number of actions to be implemented to capture and communicate everything we want to highlight about our organizations in order to attract talent more effectively. But there are three aspects that we consider basic and without which any attraction strategy will falter:
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Updating the organization’s social profiles: which will share information on a regular basis about our values, our team, our projects or what the day-to-day life is like in our company. They are our showcase for new talented professionals.
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Updating the corporate website, adapting the language to make it more direct, close and one-on-one. Also, if it does not already exist, a section that shows what it is like to work in the organization is essential with first-hand testimonies from employees who relate how they live and feel their belonging. If it can be in video format, all the better. In the time of immediacy, the text has been relegated to the background: less but more direct. Instead, it is the videos that have the power to convey the movement, passion and way of being of the people in our organization.
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Extend the new strategic approach to all communications in the organization, whether formal or informal. Adapting the language we use to the environment in which we are and considering each interaction as an opportunity to generate trust, closeness, interest and belonging in talented professionals, internal and external. Whether we send a direct message on Linkedin, launch an automatic notification from our ATS or launch a referral plan, let’s be close, take care of the style, ideas and values we transmit and always redirect to those sections of the website that most reinforce our message.
If a couple of years ago the entire Human Resources sector was talking about Employer Branding, today the boundaries between HR, Marketing and Communication departments have blurred. These three areas share the same key mission for the organization as a whole: to define, shape and communicate who we are. Only through much more personalized and constant communication and that is supported by what we can contribute will we be able to adapt to this new reality that the labor market is experiencing.
Of course, the significance of this change can seem overwhelming and we may not know where to start. In these cases, there is nothing better than having a partner specialized in Recruitment, Selection and Executive Search. This way we will ensure success in those selection processes that may be more complex for us.
At Psicotec we solve hundreds of selection processes for all types of profiles. We have the solution you need depending on the professional level through our Search, Selection & Executive Search Area.