Dive Brief:
- How can smaller, lesser-known businesses compete for talent and retain workers when major companies turn up the volume on their calls for new hires? A pair of reports issued by Eagle Hill Consulting tackle that question. Offering guerrilla tactics for recruiting and retention, the reports offer insight into how these employers can compete with the Goliaths of their industries.
- Hiring managers can rethink job descriptions, opting to describe a typical day in a position rather than listing responsibilities, Eagle Hill said. It also suggested looking for candidates among current employees and investing in education to create talent pipelines. The reports also recommended shifting the recruitment process to a behavior-based model by interviewing candidates as whole people, rather than testing them for specific skills and experiences.
- To keep existing employees engaged, Eagle Hill recommended recognition as well as providing star players time to work on passion projects and side projects that will keep their interest and attention high. Happiness counts, as well: Data from a previous Eagle Hill survey revealed 94% of happy workers would stay at their current company if offered a comparable position. Only 40% of those who are unhappy would do the same, the survey revealed.
Dive Insight:
Too many companies are relying on tired recruitment methods that don't produce the needed results in today's market conditions. For almost every category of hire, these recruitment mistakes hold HR departments back from achieving the head count they need and even inhibit growth within organizations.
With turnover at all-time highs, the HR professional is busy juggling the needs of job seekers with the desires of existing employees. Employee learning can be a key component of retention strategy. Businesses are spending more on training and development than ever before to upskill workers and keep them engaged. For staff members, access to learning is key to keep them happy on the job and focused on a long-term relationship with the company. The more access to training employees get, the more they want — and businesses happy to oblige them can keep the upskilling momentum going.
