In the age of the so-called War for Talent, companies are desperate for experienced candidates who meet certain requirements to join their team. This has become increasingly difficult as the demand for qualified candidates does not always meet the supply. What sets RPK Management Services apart as recruiters is our dedication to growing the pool of qualified and experienced candidates so that our clients receive only the best when looking to expand their staff.
Over the years RPK Management Services has introduced many programmes and tools to develop our candidate pool in a self-sustaining manner which benefits our clients, RPK and the industries we serve as a whole. Below we detail just some of the many ways RPK is combatting the lack of qualified talent and ensuring we work with only the best.
WHAT THE WAR FOR TALENT IS ALL ABOUT
A popular term which does not give much away, the War for Talent speaks to the imbalance in the high demand for talented and experienced candidates and the lower supply of candidates who meet these criteria. Companies everywhere demand the very best but, due to several factors, a large number of people seeking employment possess neither the academic qualifications necessary for certain positions nor the experience. This issue is a global one but with an employment rate of 32.9% and only a minority of the population possessing a tertiary education, the problem in South Africa is even more acute.
While these issues are being tackled by the government and the education sector, at RPK Management Services we are making sure to grow the number of candidates who exceed the requirements for employment in the sectors we serve.
HOW RPK IS EXPANDING THE TALENT POOL
Using innovative technology, broad recruitment strategies, and being proactive in the development of our talent pipelines, are just some of the ways we are growing our candidate pool to meet the high demand of capable employees.
At RPK we expand our talent pool by actively sourcing good talent. We do this in a number of ways which include recruiting passive candidates who are not actively looking for a job but are open to opportunities. For this, platforms such as LinkedIn and networking are key. Our clients also often become candidates themselves which makes building and maintaining good relationships with our clients all the more important.
There is a great deal that companies themselves can do to grow the talent pool in South Africa. We encourage our clients to do this by adopting upskilling programmes such as apprenticeships to build a pipeline of talent within their own organisation. We also work closely with graduates whose qualifications align with our clients’ industry and their needs.
Since highly qualified candidates are in such high demand, they tend to be snatched up quickly. This is why we insist upon speed and efficiency in the hiring process when working with our clients.We also encourage our clients to improve their employee value proposition (EVP) or employee benefits to entice the best candidates and avoid losing them to other competitors.
We also make sure to retain a positive relationship with our candidates with practices which set us apart from most other agencies. Unlike our competitors,we make sure to respond to every single email sent to us by a potential candidate and we provide them with feedback after the interview process. These candidates then refer us to their network of equally skilled people who become future candidates.
THE SECTORS FACING THE GREATEST RECRUITMENT CHALLENGES...
Recruitment companies in South Africa are playing a vital role in helping clients navigate the challenges of talent shortages in key sectors such as IT, engineering, healthcare, and finance. These sectors tend to struggle the most with a lack of sufficiently skilled talent.
RPK is helping clients within these sectors by offering Candidate Assessments and Skills Matching to ensure every candidate is the right fit for both the role and the company looking to hire them. These assessments evaluate the candidates’ EQ, leadership skills, ability to cope under pressure, value systems and more. We have also recently implemented cultural fit assessments to ensure long-term employee retention, which is particularly useful in sectors with a high turnover.
Other employee retention strategies that we encourage our clients to include competitive salary structures, flexible working conditions (such as hybrid models), and creating professional development pathways. Offering hybrid working models is particularly important in fields such as IT and finance where talent is highly mobile and turnover rates are high.
...AND WHAT WE ARE DOING ABOUT IT
Conducting specialised profiling assessments during the recruitment process helps reduce the turnover rate in crucial industries and produce valuable information which benefits both the client and the candidate.
Our assessments include, Emotional Intelligence (EQ), The Brain Discovery Profile, Enneagram of Personality, Value Systems and Mindset, and Social-Emotional Intelligence profiling. These assessments improve candidate matching, reduce bias, can predict future performance and streamline the hiring process. This in turn helps companies secure better hires while reducing costs and turnover in the long run.
GETTING THE MOST IN THE LEAST TIME
We also advise our clients to mitigate the risk of losing good talent by not dragging out the hiring process. At RPK Management Services we have streamlined the process by creating structured interview frameworks as well as an assessment criteria to maintain consistency and the quick evaluation of candidates, which prevents lengthy decision-making bottlenecks.
With clearly defined assessment criteria, we can streamline the recruiting process, reducing time and improving the quality of hires.
We also track where successful candidates are sourced, so that we refine our outreach and targeting strategies to focus on the most productive channels .
To learn more about the tailored recruitment services we offer, click here.
