Want to win the talent war? Heed this advice

Almost three quarters of employers are finding it difficult to land skilled candidates

BY Emily Douglas 10 Apr. 2019

When it comes to landing top talent, playing it safe won’t get you anywhere.

Almost three quarters of employers are finding it difficult to land skilled candidates – with 74% of HR leaders predicting the hiring market will only get more competitive in the coming years.

With all this in mind, we spoke to Jarik Conrad, Sr. Director of Human Capital Management (HCM) Innovation at Ultimate Software and speaker at HR Leaders Summit Vancouver. As something of a talent guru, Jarik revealed where exactly you should be looking for your next new hire.

“I believe the most important thing leaders can do to gain an edge in the war for talent is to take great care of the talent they already have,” he prefaced. “They must relentlessly strive to build a great culture where all people can thrive and be very selective in terms of who they bring into that culture—and who they let stay.

“At Ultimate Software, we’ve fostered a ‘people first’ culture from day one. For the past 29 years, we’ve focused every day on caring for our employees first. Putting people first drives everything we do, from company culture to HR technology to customer service. When we interview candidates, we very much hire for cultural fit in addition to skills. Talents can be honed over time, but personality is hard to change.”

Focusing on the talent you already have is concept which could give your hiring strategy the edge. Upskilling and development are two of the main areas of concern for employers going into 2019 – keeping that retention level up is key.

In fact, nearly 80% of leaders believe employee retention as a critical issue in their organizations. So how can you stop talent from running for the exit?

“Trust them, value them, challenge them, and reward them,” explained Jarik. “Understand them at an individual level and create an environment where they can uniquely contribute. Recognize that every, single person plays a pivotal role in the company’s big picture, and make sure each employee knows just how much they matter to your company’s success.”