The figure was reached by surveying 2,000 UK office workers about their workplace expendituresOnly last month the extent of the British skills gap was revealed, whereby skills shortages are costing businesses over £2billion every year in the form of increased salaries, recruitment costs and temporary staff.
With Frankfurt supposedly profiting from 80,000 employers post-Brexit, this skills gap is only set to widen, which could have adverse effects on the British workforce. Many UK companies rely on EU staff due to a current lack of skilled British applicants, meaning continued uncertainty around worker rights could be detrimental to the growth of the economy.
Darren Diamond, CEO and recruitment expert at DYWAJ – Do You Want A Job? gives the following tips for how recruiters can harness these much-needed skills while Brexit uncertainty remains.
1. Invest in more on-the-job training
Some candidates may have all of the enthusiasm and attitude required for the job, but lack a few of the skills needed. This is where additional training can be extremely valuable in ensuring a good candidate has the knowledge required for the job.
Ensure candidates are willing to set aside some free time to learn the skills needed and look out for a history of quick learning on their CV, which could be in the form of speaking a foreign language or playing an instrument to a high level. Short courses can be invaluable to employees and, while they will come at a cost, the staff you invest in will end up with the exact skills your business requires.
2. Personalise your recruitment messages
Reaching out to potential candidates can be time-consuming, but try not take a “one size fits all” approach, as this will put off more highly-skilled candidates. Be detailed about what you are looking for in job advertisements and personalise your emails or phone calls to highlight aspects of their CV that you think would fit the role.
3. Ensure the job description is enticing
With prospective candidates taking under a minute to read and dismiss job descriptions, it’s vital that you make the role sound as interesting and enticing as possible.
If you are listing off a huge number of qualities and responsibilities required for the job, this will likely put many people off, however an overly vague description could have a similar effect too. Ensure the advertisement actually fits what the role requires, so avoid adding in entry level duties if it’s a mid-level vacancy, for example.
4. Be flexible with your recruitment
When a highly-skilled candidate approaches you, try to take a more person-centred and flexible approach which will allow you to stand out from other recruiters. Providing employee benefits and incentives will allow candidates to see that they will be valued and be part of a happy workplace, which is extremely important to job-hunters.
With the skills gap widening in the wake of Brexit uncertainty, it’s vital that recruiters make the most of the candidates they have available to them.
If you need help filling a skills gap, DYWAJ – Do You Want A Job? allows recruiters to access hundreds of thousands of CVs to find the best candidates for a job opening.
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