All over the world, including in the Asia-Pacific region, employers are aiming to recruit and retain top talent to help lead them into the future of work. As companies continue to confront the pandemic and the economic consequences of a war between Russia and Ukraine, they are aiming to acquire the best and brightest to provide innovative solutions for these big problems.
As a result, they are turning to new methods and tools for recruiting and hiring.
"The need for streamlining the process of targeting the right candidate has emerged during the pandemic," according to India Today.
WATCH: HR and Future of Work APAC
Human Resources leaders in the region are shifting their mindset and finding novel ways to address the recruitment problem. Discover some of the approaches HR leaders are taking:
Hire for the Future
With the uncertainty of the last few years, some employers have been reticent about hiring, and HR leaders are recommending they begin building up the workforce for the long-term.
"While APAC HR leaders understand that the business wants talent acquisition teams to do more than just reactive recruitment, and actually get involved in long-term succession planning discussion and strategy, they also acknowledge that the skillsets are just not there yet," according to Cielo, a recruiting company.
The skills gap has held up hiring for some, however, employers are taking action to address this, so they can move their organisation forward. It requires a new and different applicant profile.
Consider Job Applicant Potential and Skills
Modern hiring means looking at a candidate's aptitude and potential to learn rather than qualifications like a university degree. People can attain coveted skills without higher education. In addition, employers should think about whether candidates will put in the work, understand the field, display intellectual curiosity, and fit into the company's culture. Then, the employer can teach the newly hired the necessary skills to succeed.
"Hiring for skills appears to foster stronger loyalty and retention among talent. LinkedIn found that, on average, non-graduates spend 34% more time with an organisation compared to graduates. In Australia, non-graduates will spend 51% longer, compared to their graduate colleagues. Likewise in New Zealand it's 56%, Hong Kong is 40% and China is 26%,” according to LinkedIn.
Discover New Pipelines for Talent
Recently, Arundhati Bhattacharya, Salesforce India Chief Executive, warned readers of a skills shortage "crisis" in the IT sector in the region, according to the Financial Times (FT). Salesforce's response includes looking for talent in new places and finding appropriate partners.
"We are talking to colleges," says Bhattacharya in FT. "We are also establishing relationships with companies that will actually go into smaller cities and pick out the bright guys or girls. We are on the verge of creating another programme for women to return to the workforce."
Others have suggested switching from scouring LinkedIn for potential applicants to using TikTok or Instagram, where young people from Gen Z, are spending their time. At the very least, employers can increase visibility and promote their employer brand on those other social media channels.
Leverage Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics
Turning to data-driven technology to choose the best applicant is a smart move, according to India Today. In fact, AI-powered hiring tools allow employers to obtain predictive analysis to collect data from various sources, including social media, user searches, and other sites.
This form of automation makes the hiring process more efficient. However, the jury is still out about its effectiveness when it comes to hiring a diverse talent pool. One camp argues that AI is technology and therefore cuts out the biases that humans have. Another group says that algorithms could leave people out of consideration. Over time, HR professionals will be able to better assess the effectiveness of this technology.
Utilize Programmatic Job Advertising
Finding a good match between the role and the candidate is key in recruiting today. Therefore, HR leaders are looking for ways to find candidates for a specific niche. That’s why programmatic job advertising is getting attention.
"It enables firms to find the best candidate by gathering and analyzing enormous quantities of data from several applicant sources and placing laser-targeted ads for maximized output," according to India Today.
Employers in Asia-Pacific are rethinking their recruitment practices to ensure stronger teams with the capacity to answer the demands of current geopolitical pressures and the future of work. They are turning to innovative methods that leverage technology to find and hire the best and brightest and create diverse teams.
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