What do millennials value most in an employer? Where is the top talent of the new generation searching for jobs? How can you keep employees in a stretch-zone of continuous learning?
We sat down with Peder Hamer to learn how one of the best staffing agencies in the world — Kelly Services — helps companies to recruit, hire, onboard and retain top talent.
As a side note, we're holding an entire conference on how to build great company culture. Join us in Oslo on May 24 at MESH. Peder and other great speakers will join us. Tickets are free, but running out fast! Get yours here: salesscreen.com/events
Evolution of the job market
The new generations are looking for more than salary… they want purpose, vision and connectedness in the workplace. As society evolves, these benefits are becoming even more important than money.
If you hire the right people, they can accomplish almost anything but if you hire the wrong people, it can severely damage the motivation, engagement, and output of your office.
Remote work and flexible work schedules are also important. People want the ability to move with the dynamics of daily life, rather than having tight and rigid work schedules. Providing a high level of flexibility is extremely rewarding to talented and hardworking candidates.
***It’s not always just about the bonus or the salary; it’s much more complex than that. ***
Attracting and recruiting top talent
Think outside the box. You need more than job boards and social media. The top talent is always chased after, so if you want to bring them on your team, you need to have a unique strategy.
The top talent is like the pretty girl in the room; they’re always sought after.
Top talent doesn’t always mean the best resume or CV… it often means the person who has the strongest work ethic (especially in sales) and has the hustle and drive to succeed. So, in order to find the best employees, you need to broaden your horizons a bit and consider more than just “smarts on paper”.
***A mindset of continuous development is a very important quality to keep an eye out for. ***
Staffing agencies spend much of their time getting to understand personality types and hidden attributes. Anyone can read a resume, but professional staffing agencies have a deep understanding of people and can tap into that to deliver the best fit for your team.
What is “passive job searching”?
There are active and passive candidates — some are looking, but often the top talent aren’t searching and applying because they don’t need to… they are being actively searched after by their networks constantly.
***By only advertising your job openings, you are only getting 36% of the candidate base to apply. You need to do more. ***
You need a searchable database that can scan for key skills, qualities and identifiers. Personal networking in the right places is also hugely important. If you want to reach the remaining 64% of viable candidates, you need to be active in your search.
What will hiring look like in 2030?
The way that most companies search for candidates now will have very little effect in 2030.
Most companies currently have 4 key qualifications they desire:
- Five years of relevant experience
- Relevant education
- Good language skills
- Technical know-how
BUT, this will all change in the near future. Therefore:
- Relevant experience — “The things we learned 10 years ago are outdated and the things we learned 5 years ago are irrelevant.”
- Relevant education — what you learned in college more than 5 years ago is generally unimportant.
- Good language skills — soon we will have speech recognition systems which will give us the ability to translate languages instantly.
- Technical know-how — most companies have unique products or services and are already focusing on intensive on-the-job training.
The importance of onboarding and leadership
You need diversity for strong teams. There also needs to be a strong onboarding plan, *“The most expensive thing in HR is wrong placement.” *
“Top talents are not often so fond of authority”, so having 1-on-1 chats is very important to align goals with strategy. Everyone is motivated differently and it’s very important to ensure that people are taking ownership of their tasks and also understand what incentives await at the finish line.
***Flexibility is one of the most important perks in the workplace today. ***
Understanding people and having empathy are the most important aspects of a good leader. People want to know that they are seen, cared for and appreciated by management.
There must be a plan in place if you desire to speed up the “time to productivity” of new-hires. Mentorship and coaching are particularly important to helping new sales hires to become successful.
People are everything… help get them on the path to success as quickly as possible. Hiring a professional firm who specializes in hiring and onboarding can save tons of time, money and hassle.
Join us on May 24 in Oslo as Peder discusses trust and client advocacy at C2, our conference on company culture.
On May 24 at MESH in Oslo, Peder Hammer from Kelly Services Norway will talk about the importance of hiring and onboarding properly. He will discuss why humans are the most important asset to any business and why hiring is the most important thing any organization does. Join us!
