Recruiting engineers, scientists, research and development (R&D), information technology (IT) and other technical talent has become increasingly more difficult over the past 18 months. We find this to be the case because most technology candidates are both in high demand as well as short supply. Additionally, retaining key R&D, IT, scientific and engineering talent has become a herculean task!
Recruitment Proof From Both Labor Department and Recruiters
Last month’s U.S. Labor Department job figures displayed the 106th straight month of jobs creation with another 164,000 new jobs created. This was yet another new job record!
Additionally, we have surveyed many recruitment professionals who complain about a lack of candidates to fill their staffing needs. This has caused client job openings to remain open for longer periods of time, which results in lower overall productivity.
Recruiting Key Talent Requires Creative Staffing
You need to be very creative in order to attract significant numbers of engineers, scientists and other technical talent to your organization in today’s work environment. One way is to undertake a greater effort and formulate more effective recruitment programs as well as better ways to retain your brightest talent.
We devised the 12 Commandments of Recruiting to enable you to increase your recruitment prowess. An example is the 12th recruiting commandment: Be Realistic!
Unfortunately, many companies demand unrealistic employment requirements. As a result, positions go unfilled for longer periods of time!
I instead recommend having your staffing managers focus only on the two to three most important job criteria. This will help fill your jobs more quickly during these tough recruiting times. Remember to be realistic in your staffing process.
Recruitment Not Enough | Better Talent Retention Required
Another way to be more creative is in doing your research. These means determining both: a) what your employees find desirable in their work environment as well as b) what your competitors are offering. I have three retention suggestions.
One key retention suggestion is regular satisfaction surveys. Proactively try to uncover both: a) what your employees want and b) what is lacking in your work environment. Then implement the top strategies before your competitors steal your key talent!
Another suggestion is to check out your competitors’ job listings, mission statements and online reviews. Try to interview former employees to determine their likes and dislikes in their work history.
Finally, a third suggestion is to review Glassdoor reviews. Review both your own company and your competitors. Try to uncover flaws and address them. This will provide you a leg up on your competition in attracting and retaining your key talent. Remember we are in a War for Talent for key workers.
Our Recruiting And Staffing Consulting Team Can Help
Strategic Search Corporation can help you recruit key talent for your staffing needs. Our vast experience helps you uncover the best engineer, scientist, R&D, technical, IT and manufacturing candidates for your recruiting needs. We also ensure the candidates we present will provide you more useful information during your job interviews due to our trademarked interview preparation process.
Additionally, we can help you on a consulting basis to devise better ways to retain key talent. This comes from our over 30 years of recruitment experience combined with being recognized as a regular contributor to several media outlets including WGN and CBS Radio.
Call me today at 312-944-4000 to discuss how we can assist with your engineering recruiting and staffing needs. Or click here for my full contact information.
