A Demand For Soft Skills

Technology will always be a shifting current—what’s relevant today likely won’t be 10-20 years from now. This predicament is part of the reason that some employers find themselves consistently looking for new and fresh talent but very recently, some have come to understand that one thing will withstand the test of time: soft skills.

Universally lauded (I’m exaggerating but bear with me) and “future-proof”, as penned by harver.com, soft skills refer to things like empathy, communication, and critical thinking. These are things that “are personality-driven and… are what makes the difference between a good and a great candidate. After all, hard (tangible and technical) skills usually can be taught, while teaching someone how to show empathy is almost impossible…”

“As developments in technology are changing many industries rapidly, the demand for people with transferable, future-proof (as much as possible) and soft skills will rise.”

If you were on the fence about hiring a candidate for reasons like these, take a chance! You might be pleasantly surprised.

Disability Employment And Inclusion

It’s 2019 and hiring trends are always shifting. What may have been the norm 15 years ago may not be today, and in order to keep your workforce productive and diverse, some changes have to be made.

As sad as it may sound, many employers aren’t comfortable having a conversation about hiring disabled/differently-abled individuals. There may be plenty that aren’t intentionally discriminatory but unconscious or otherwise, a bias remains and is greatly prevalent.

As of July 2018, according to BuiltIn.com (via statistics provided by Accenture.com), “less than a third of Americans with disabilities between 16 and 64 are in the workforce.” By comparison, BuiltIn cites that 75% of individuals without disabilities are currently working.

Part of that study predicted that if only 1% more people with disabilities were employed, the GDP could potentially witness a $25B increase.

To lift an excerpt from the article, “Accenture Research conducted a study that measured 140 US companies by financial performance in terms of profitability and value creation. Of the companies analyzed, 45 identified as “Champions” or leaders in disability employment and inclusion, and they saw a major lift in profitability and performance. Over four years, these companies saw an average of 28% higher revenue, doubled their net income and enjoyed 30% higher economic profit margins.”

One of the largest benefits of his practice, aside from inclusivity and potentially increased profit, is perspective. Our differences are what make the world go ‘round, and everyone deserves a fair opportunity to earn a wage and put food on their table.

Collaborative Hiring

When you think of what led any great team to success, what’s the first thing that pops into your head?

Determination?

Drive?

Teamwork?

If you said teamwork, you’re on the right track!

As it relates to recruiting, one tried and true staple of success, according to Harver.com, is collaborative hiring

Now some of you may be asking, “Oh, that sounds nifty, but what’s that?” and the short answer is the combination of internal networks/networking efforts and employee referrals or employee referral programs. 

Harver.com states that “referred hires generally are (among other things) more productive, more engaged and less likely to leave.” It only makes sense that combining efforts should yield better results! Furthermore, they cite that “this is one of the reasons we see an increase in employee referrals and employee referral programs – and companies that provide AI driven technology to automate your employee referral efforts.”

It goes hand-in-hand with some of the articles I’ve previously shared about marrying AI with human experience. Innovation at its finest!

Virtual Reality In The Interviewing Process

In an economy where there are far more jobs than job-seekers, hiring managers will agree that it’s incredibly important to ensure they’re making the best choice. The “best” way of doing that is highly subjective in nature, but one approach that some companies are beginning to take is bolstering their interview process with… virtual reality!
 
According to 52% of respondents to LinkedIn’s Global Recruiting Trends, these innovations to the interview process are very important and, according to CloserIQ’s article, utilizing video or VR have been are “gaining ground.” 
 
A further quote from them reveals that, “Companies that incorporated either video or VR platforms into their interviewing process found they were able to better assess skillsengage candidates more, increase efficiency and improve talent pool diversity, and encountered less unconscious bias.” 
 
For example, it may be easier for someone to showcase their hand-eye coordination or ability to extract and process numerous points of information at once through such an unorthodox method. In any case, it seems as though this way of thinking has gained traction for a reason.
 
What are your thoughts?

Applicants Hold The Power

Roy Maurer, of SHRM.org, claims that applicants hold a lot more power in the application and hiring process by demanding more transparency, accountability, and trust from their would-be employers. 
 
Per a LinkedIn survey (part of their Global Talent Trends 2019 report), these three attributes have forced employers to compete more heavily for candidates’ attention and, in turn, as employers seeking candidates with more than just a stacked resume. 
 
Soft skills such as creativity, the ability to collaborate well with others, and adaptability are at the forefront as they are largely intrinsic to an individual and generally can’t be taught.
 
What are your thoughts?

Video Recruitment And The Interview Process

Tired of the same old thing when it comes to discussing roles with candidates? Do you feel as though there’s a component of the process that you’re missing that would really help you connect with the people you speak to every day? Good news– video recruiting and interviewing might just be the cure for what ails you!
 
According to Monster.com, recruiting agencies worldwide are beginning to adopt the use of videos (livestream a la FaceTime or Skype, or premade) as a way to further stretch their brand and become more interactive with potential customers and candidates. To that end, some companies are even pushing boundaries and utilizing facial recognition systems to help vet their candidates!

Remaining Human In The Tech Age

Before robots take over the world a la the Terminator, we must come to terms with Artificial Intelligence’s (AI) advanced and growing utilization in our workforce. As it stands in recruiting, automated responses via AI are becoming more and more commonplace, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to make yourself or your company stand out.

Tailoring responses to suit the context of a conversation or to seem more approachable and welcoming is a great way to make candidates feel welcomed. Using AI and personally checking in with people to keep them apprised of their status in the recruiting process can also do wonders.

It should go without saying that professionalism should always come first but that doesn’t mean you can’t also be warm and inviting.

CodeFights

Recruiting tools change at the drop of a hat and keeping up with current trends can be overwhelming at times. 

This week’s resource is CodeFights, a forum for engineers and similar technical positions. CodeFights opened its doors to recruiters to help foster communication between both parties. They tailor algorithms to find balance between what job seekers and recruiters are looking for to create what is, in essence, a Tinder for the job market!

For more information check out: https://www.prnewswire.com/news/codefights