Do you feel like you’re scraping the bottom of your candidate pool? If scouting out star talent proves to be as difficult (and as rare) as spotting a shooting star, you’re not alone in your uphill battle.
Today, recruiters are struggling to find talent with the skills businesses need. Even with college graduates entering the workforce every season, companies still struggle to fill positions that involve top-tier skills.
Fortunately, employers can close skill gaps with a few smart decisions.
Outsourcing
Thanks to mandatory quarantine measures that sparked “aha” moments for working professionals who realized that home offices boosted productivity levels, enhanced work-life balance, and expanded opportunities, more professionals than ever are seeking remote work. With the ability to work from anywhere, highly skilled talent can maximize their earning potential by sharing their skill sets with several businesses–rather than just one.
As the remote workforce hits a growth spurt, opportunities for outsourcing continue to surge. By delegating your low-impact tasks (social media management, bookkeeping, tax filing, etc.), your in-house team can reserve precious brainpower for high-impact projects.
When it comes to outsourcing opportunities, the sky’s the limit. Employers can outsource basic office tasks like document notarization through a company like Superior Notary Services. Forward-thinking business heads can also outsource back office and front office tasks like opening mail, replying to emails, and answering the phones.
When companies remove mundane tasks, their employees have more time to spend on creative tasks that water a company’s bottom line.
Continuous learning opportunities
Rather than finding talent outside of your organization, build talent within it.
With continuous learning opportunities, you can help your employees learn the skills that give them the ability to move up in your organization. You’ll build loyalty within your ranks by helping them build the skills your company needs. This money-saving solution prevents the need to recruit and onboard new talent.
Hire interns and apprentices to find top talent
Companies that work with interns get a test drive from university students looking for learning opportunities. If the intern or apprentice is a good fit, you can hire the candidate and fill a role without needing a recruiter.
Your company could develop a strong reputation within the academic community by hiring interns and offering mentoring opportunities. Top students will want to work for you, thus removing the challenge of finding highly skilled talent.
Offer tuition assistance programs
Companies that offer tuition assistance programs can build talent from within and hire outstanding college graduates. With such a program in place, a company can attract and acquire star talent that may have a long list of job must-haves, including, but not limited to, a tuition assistance program.
Investigate the skills employees already have
Many companies have no idea what skills their employees have.
For example, they might be paying a premium for outsourced content writing and SEO skills when they have someone on staff who can do the job, too. A company may even turn a blind eye to payrolled employees with a knack for troubleshooting computer issues that remain confined in a factory job where no one asks about their tech abilities.
If you haven’t considered the possibility that top talent is right under your nose, take a look around. There may be someone who can write SEO content and troubleshoot computer issues within a 10-foot radius of your HR department.
Remember, when companies take the time to learn about their in-house employees’ skills, they can customize their jobs, easing the pressure on recruiters and HR professionals.
Pay attention to the competition
You can learn more about closing skill gaps by watching what your competition does. If they offer internships and mentorships, you can take a different approach and offer tuition reimbursement or other incentives. Make your company attractive in your way, without copying what the competition is doing.
Wrap up
Closing skill gaps involves creativity and innovation. If you’re up for the challenge of closing skill gaps, you’ll need to dedicate time to learning about your current employees’ skillsets and offering new learning opportunities.
