Employment rates are at an all time low. The economy is strong. Job vacancies are high. What does this mean to employers? It means that there are more vacancies than quality candidates available to fill them. It means that potential employees and existing employees have choices. How does an employer manage this?

Cultural fit verses skill set – In today’s market it is less likely that you will find a candidate that matches the exact skill set or experience you are seeking. To overcome this or eliminate missing out on potential candidates that, in time, may add an immense amount of value to your business, you need to start with a clearly defined Position Description. This should outline the key accountabilities, the main duties, the essential skill set required and the desired skill set.

Secondly it is critical that the existing company culture, team culture and management style this role reports to be clearly defined. Now you are in a position to identify what skill set/s really are essential, and not negotiable, or which ones can be trained therefore traded off for someone who has the right cultural fit and attitude. Remember, even though someone may have all the skills and experience if they do not match the company’s culture, long term they will not add value and in fact risk being detrimental to the organisation rather than beneficial.

Who is interviewing who? - In today’s market you can almost guarantee candidates are looking at more than one job opportunity – they have choices! Come interview time, not only is this a forum for you to interview them, they will also be interviewing you. Too many employers fail to realise this and fail to sell themselves and their company. Why should a prospective employee want to work for the organisation? What are the benefits the company can offer? What career path is available to them, what training, what social benefits, what monetary benefits or ability to salary sacrifice etc? Why do other staff members like working here? What success has the company enjoyed, what growth is on the horizon? Etc, etc, etc. It is important to note that whilst it is a competitive market in relationship to salaries, a potential employee’s decision is often not based on salary alone.

Timing of decisions - Due to the number of opportunities potential employees have available to them, good candidates are moving quickly. Gone are the days when you conduct first round interviews one week, take a few days to think it over, get them back to meet a higher manager and expect them to still be available when you make an offer a further week later. Where possible have all decision makers present at the first interview. The difference of 2-5 days to schedule further interviews could be the difference of another company making an offer.

Making a decision after seeing only one candidate - Whilst no one is suggesting an employer should rush a decision, or employ someone purely because there is no one better in the current candidate short market we do recommend making an offer promptly when the right candidate does come along – even if it is the first candidate you have interviewed. If a candidate matches what you are looking for why do you need to see a comparison? Unfortunately, in today’s market you may not get another candidate to compare with, but you can almost guarantee in the timeframe you are waiting for that second candidate you will lose the first candidate. Remember, good candidates do not last long.

Keep up to date with market salaries - Today’s candidate short market is driving salaries up and up! Employers are faced with potential employees possibly with fewer skills, less experience and certainly less company knowledge starting on higher salaries than existing employees. You are not alone; this is happening everywhere and is something that just has to be managed internally.

Stay tuned for the next instalment of Tanya’s tips regarding retaining staff – in our next edition of the Grassroots IT newsletter.

Written by Tanya Hay, Director and owner of the recruit, a boutique Recruitment Agency providing both temporary and permanent people solutions to a vast range of organisations throughout Brisbane. For more information, phone 07 3221 3844.