Quarter four in the calendar year is upon us and as I reflect upon Fusion Recruitment’s activities since fdu was acquired by Fusion Consulting Group in March, several human capital trends spring to mind.
Virtual and remote hiring ran riot during the pandemic but has been reined in this year and over the past six months the balance has been somewhat redressed demonstrated by the 1-2 day working from the office split being replaced by the 2-3 day. We see sector variances in these figures with Tech. clients being more open to the balance being in favour of employees working remotely vs more traditional business favouring employees being more present of the office.
Our sense is that it will remain with us as companies recognise the benefits of casting a wider net for talent and being competitive in a candidate short market, but this may be incongruous with employers wanting to truly re-engage with their employee base to drive process and culture. Fusion Recruitment has been involved in multiple remote processes where candidates have interviewed on-line and are not likely to be in the presence of their hiring managers more than once or twice per month once employed. Even at the senior end of the market, the question ‘Is this a hybrid role’ comes up early in the conversation. It will be fascinating to observe how companies tackle the ongoing fundamental shift in working behaviour and expectations.
Skill-based hiring continues to overtake the requirement for traditional credentials. Our clients are placing much more emphasis on skills and competencies than anything else. At any level we have always advocated the use of presentations and working case studies verses traditional testing being integral in an interview process However, my warning to hiring managers is not to rely on skills alone. Balance the assessment of credentials and skills with how your candidate comes across style wise (assess their cultural fit by ensuring that they spend time with a few different company representatives as part of the interview process, even if this is just for 15 minutes). In the end, you will have to take a leap of faith and go with your gut but give your belly the chance to digest the due diligence across all aspects of that person. How will this person behave once they enter my organisation. How will I help this individual once they have landed. Assess their ambition and measure it against the ambition of your organisation and the people driving it.
Do not underestimate the need to provide candidates with the best possible experience during a recruitment process. Combining the appreciation in changing generational attitudes with the need to continuously attract relevant talent at all levels is a recipe for success, and the more work one puts into providing a positive candidate experience, the more recruiting success you will have. No doubt a poor candidate experience will exercise brand damage and minimise your access to great resource in the future.
Being part of Fusion Consulting Group, a fast-growing professional services brand with multiple lines of business other than just recruitment, including international and domestic tax, accounting, financial advisory and legal services, ensures that we can glean a broad set of insights into the world of human capital. Recruitment trends evolve quickly in response to market requirements, technology capability, and societal preferences, and it is important to be aware of all the relevant dynamics when planning to hire.
Please be in touch if you would like to discuss your general recruitment strategies or future hiring needs.
