‘Recently there was a great article in the FD about the hunt for staff. The key message? Companies need to adjust their requirements when recruiting and retaining staff.’ So says Rik Berghout, founder and owner of Panthion. ‘For us, as partners in HR and career issues, this is obviously a very relevant topic. In this blog, I like to share my views on this. Have questions or want to spar? Then email us at info@panthion.nl or call 085 4018200.
Make people visible
Rik continues: “In essence, I do dare say that recruiting is not useful if human capital is not tied to the organization. Further, of course, it is no surprise that the figures show the tightness in the labor market. However, I think there is a great untapped potential of labor among people who:
- want to make a career move;
- are currently looking for work from a different or “wrong” direction;
- are (partially) labor-restricted.
These people lack visibility and/or do not know how to make their network work for them. In our view, there are also tremendous opportunities here for the UWV.
Don’t think in boxes
‘Another approach is that employers sometimes think too much in boxes. They are looking for someone with at least five years of experience, experience in healthcare and at least a college education. In this way, a huge potential is rejected in advance. We often talk to people who are suitable for HR positions based on experience, but are not selected because they do not have the right papers. In this day and age, it is actually important to think a little more out of the box and perhaps hire a junior HR consultant and train them internally instead of spending months searching for the perfect candidate,” Rik said.
How do we deal with these challenges at Panthion?
‘We consider our network vital in this market. We move with the economy (both boom and bust), devote time and attention to our (interim) network, be innovative, creative and inventive. This means customization: we must get to know our client optimally, understand what is and is not needed, be able to move quickly and be transparent in our approach and costs. By 2022 – thanks in part to this approach – we will have fulfilled 100% of our assignments (both interim and recruitment & selection). As a medium-sized agency, we know our clients well and always have one regular contact person. Relationship management is hugely important, which is why (oddly enough) we never do acquisition. Warm recommendations between principals work best. In addition, we always strive for a long-term cooperative relationship.
What challenges will our clients face?
‘We regularly have clients who have attracted enough interested employees in the past without having to recruit. That time, however, has passed. We see more and more HR professionals trading in their permanent employment for an interim role. The demand for self-employment is so high that it is an acceptable choice for many professionals. This makes it even more challenging for clients, particularly companies that have always handled their own recruitment, to shape the recruitment and selection process for filling permanent HR positions. Procedures no longer take weeks, but months. Therefore, it is more interesting to consider establishing a long-term cooperation with an HR agency, as this can benefit both quality and costs in the long run,” Rik concludes.
Some tips for readers
- As an employer, you should not want to look for a copy of the employee who is leaving, but rather someone who will be a valuable addition to the team. Sometimes this lies more in talents and drives than in hard requirements and competencies.
- As an employee, it can be valuable to do a “career MOT” as an investment in your network and future. Even if you currently have no plans to leave, having a plan may come in handy later.
- Employers in the education, healthcare and government sectors should be more bold in relying on industry experience when recruiting HR professionals. A good HR professional can quickly master the specific rules, procedures and practices. For example, if municipality always asks for an HR consultant with municipal experience, it hinders innovation and improvement, and everything stays the same. And stagnation has never made anyone better….
Want to read more about topics such as training, development, sick leave, outplacement and more? Then look here.
