Finding qualified, available IT candidates in today’s competitive Minnesota jobs market is a challenge facing many employers but is it your company’s attitude towards hiring that’s impacting your ability to source talent?
According to recent research, around 60% of hiring managers have caught applicants lying on their resumes. During the recession, numbers rose as competition became for jobs became so fierce yet it still continues today. The impact of hiring a candidate who has deliberately misled the hiring manager on their resume can be destructive.
As an entrepreneur running a small-but-growing business, your hiring decisions are some of the most critical – and risky – decisions you will make. Every organization, regardless of size, is impacted by every new hire. But the smaller your company, the bigger the impact. Indeed, a study conducted by Guident Financial and LendingClub found that for small business owners especially, employee recruiting and retention is a challenge in a strong labor market.
So how can you make sure you’re bringing in the right person, every time?
As employers seek to improve the culture fit and success of their new hires, we are seeing a shift away from an emphasis on hard skills in favor of a closer focus on soft skills.
Hard skills are the technical, specific abilities which can be taught. Soft skills, on the other hand, are generally more subjective and elusive, referring to personal and interpersonal qualities and characteristics. The advantage with soft skills is that they give employers a deeper insight into their potential hire.
Below you will find some of the most important soft skills to consider when recruiting for your next vacancy:
As a candidate, you want to perform to the best of your ability when invited to an interview. As the employment market becomes more buoyant you may find yourself involved in a number of interviews in a short space of time. Naturally, you’ll want to ensure you are the preferred candidate on each occasion but what exactly is the optimum timing to achieve this?
Reveal a Job Candidate’s True Capabilities
What happens when your number one job candidate turns down your best offer? Here’s what happens: you’re suddenly breaking all speed records to reach back out to Finalists Two and Three (and maybe Four). But if they were so great, they may no longer be available. And if they’re no longer interested, you’re starting all over again, re-working your network for the same job. The repeat calls, emails, postings, conversations and negotiations cost you time, money and credibility.
Even for the most qualified applicants, interviews can be a daunting experience. At SkyWater, we advise all of our candidates to research the company, understand the role and rehearse their answers to the most common interview questions.
