Rethink your hires – employee hiring priorities updated

In recent years, the modern workplace has tackled one shock after another, battling recessions, pandemics, and the rise of new technology. Amidst all these changes, human resource practitioners have taken advantage of new opportunities and tackled even more complex challenges.

With the ongoing struggle in hiring and retaining top talent, why not have a read of these tips below, to see how you can rethink and update your hiring priorities to generate positive outcomes.

Tips for rethinking your HR employee hiring processes

1. Target candidates with technical skills

Traditionally, recruiters have relied on the sourcing of skills from talent pools, where they consider background and credentials. Back when it was important to hire a talented videographer or project manager, ensuring they checked all the boxes was a priority. Yet, with present realities, the strategy is not enough to help you hire the best candidates.

Prioritizing candidates with technical skills, especially when they’re self-taught (Yes! Even when they don’t have fancy credentials), is often a safer bet. Research by Gartner reveals that at least 43% of candidates today are self-taught in the vital aspects of their work. Self-taught candidates gain specialized expertise and know how to use tools in real-world scenarios at equal and, often, higher levels than the candidate with an extensive resume.

So, when hiring, rethink your criteria for selecting employees to avoid locking out high-value skilled workers. By hiring candidates with talent and potential as opposed to those with credentials, you avoid making the mistake of excluding the best options in the market. One example of new strategies that work is hiring from programs that give traditionally neglected yet talented individuals opportunities.

2. Assess capacity to self-manage

Remote working is a new reality, and in most businesses that haven’t transitioned yet, a hybrid system is in the works. But like with all changes, remote working presents new challenges for employees. Time management, diligence, and motivation to work are among the many changes introduced by the remote working environment, an aspect that makes the ability to self-manage even more valuable.

When hiring candidates, select those that can self-manage by assessing their ability to adapt to pressure, reliability, value alignment, and ability to solve complex problems. By hiring employees who self-manage, the HR department can help companies achieve their goals because they bring their high potential and engagement to tasks.

With the continuous changes and dynamics of most workplaces today, it’s vital to choose those that don’t need babysitting and can improve the organization by acting independently.

3. Focus on soft skills & skill acquisition

Most candidates that eventually get the job offer undergo the basic HR recruitment strategy that matches job descriptions and their skillsets. This approach works well enough, but it creates another challenge when employees become redundant. Research shows that only 20% of employees have the skills necessary for their current and future roles, possibly as a consequence of their failure to master the required skills once they start working.

To rethink your hiring priorities, put aside the quest for finding “unicorn candidates” and instead find individuals open to learning. These candidates are equipped with soft skills such as communication, teamwork, attitude, and work ethic. These individuals can learn the skills needed in their organizations and will always strive to grasp them in the context of the organization’s strategy.

Recruiters can excel when they hire with the knowledge that they must be progressive in mapping future skills that they can match to new hires. In scenarios where departments have competent individuals, further training can ensure that employees can improvise, adapt, and overcome redundancy challenges.

The future wave of employees needs different strategies

HR is an exciting profession, and for practitioners, each decade brings new hurdles. With new employees like Gen Z entering the workforce and Baby Boomers resigning, it’s vital to appreciate that priorities have shifted. At Juno Journey, we believe that rethinking and redesigning outdated methods is the only way to usher in the age of the most educated and multicultural workforce in history.