The Biggest Recruitment Challenges Companies Face in 2014: An Interview with PayScale
By Tess Curle Taylor, PHR, CPC
Recruiting is one of those careers that’s just bound to have its own unique challenges. After all, we do work with the very complex issues surrounding people and how they fit into the business world.
No two days are ever the same, and issues come up that are impossible to predict. There are also constant changes in terms of technology that shake up the way recruiters do things, adding to the mix. However, there is nothing more exhilarating than finding the right person for the right client. This is what recruiting is all about.
Recent Report Details the Link Between Recruitment and Compensation
Recently, I had the privilege of talking with Laleh Hassibi, Senior Manager of B2B Content Marketing at PayScale, a leading firm in cloud compensation data and software. With the release of their 2014 PayScale Compensation Best Practices Report, PayScale has shed more light on some of the biggest concerns that businesses face in terms of recruitment and HR management this year.
Since compensation and recruitment are so closely tied, it’s important to take note of the results of this survey, which revealed:
- 72 percent of the businesses surveyed plan to expand operations during 2014
- Retention of employees was listed as a top concern by almost 60 percent of the companies polled
- Major skill gaps are a big concern with the 54 percent of companies that are expecting to hire more this year
The Biggest Recruitment and Compensation Challenges Facing Companies
In our interview, I asked Ms. Hassibi what she believed to be the biggest challenges that companies face in 2014 in regards to their recruitment and compensation strategies. She stated that. “As the economy continues to recover, companies have big plans for workforce expansion and financial growth.” Further adding that,” The big challenges are not only to find new talent to support that growth, but holding on to the talent companies already have who are going to be tempted to jump ship for better opportunities. This balancing act of managing growth while effectively attracting new talent and retaining existing talent is the big challenge of 2014.”
It’s clear that recruiters will have to be able to offer a lot more to the best talent, over and above average salaries. Organizational growth and innovation will be dependent on a strong compensation and retention strategy.
Social Recruiting’s Role in Closing Skill Gaps
The PayScale report revealed that many of the companies that participated in the survey planned on using social networks to source high-demand talent. Ms. Hassibi mentioned that, “Half of all companies surveyed reported a lack of qualified applicants for open job positions. The hardest positions to fill were technical/engineering positions and medical/clinical specialists.” Here’s how the survey indicated companies would be turning to social media recruiting as the competition for these skilled positions heats up:
- 56 percent of companies are using LinkedIn for social recruiting
- 29 percent of companies are turning to Facebook to source candidates
- 15 percent use Twitter for social media recruiting purposes
Not surprisingly, the Information, Media and Telecommunications industry had the largest reported skills gap and is also the most likely industry to use social media for recruiting (77 percent).
Trends in Social Media’s Use in the Workplace
In workplaces around the world, there is an increased use of social networks by Human Resource and Recruitment teams. Social media has quickly gained popularity and acceptance as a direct communication tool between employers and employees. The PayScale survey advised that:
- 55 percent of companies surveyed have a formal social media use policy, with 59 percent being large companies
- The number of companies banning employee social media usage at work has decreased from 36 percent in 2012 to 33 percent in 2013
- At the same time, 37 percent of companies actually encourage social media usage at work in 2013, increasing from 35 percent in 2012
A New View of Social Media Recruitment
While the recruitment world may continue to strike a good balance between traditional and modern methods of sourcing great talent, one thing remains. The recruitment world is evolving to meet the challenges and demands of securing the most in-demand skillsets and social media is a powerful tool for accomplishing this. As evidenced by the special PayScale report, social recruiting has become a much more acceptable means to connect with and attract top talent.
Huge thanks to Laleh Hassibi, of PayScale for sharing her expertise and this exciting report with Social-Hire! In the annual survey of best practices, nearly 5,000 companies told PayScale what happened in 2013 and their expectations for 2014. The results may surprise you. Download the complimentary 2014 Compensation Best Practice(s) Report here
View the interactive graphs from the report here
Your Social Outsource Team
The Social Hire team don't just do social media.
What the Social Hire gang loves is making a difference for our clients, and we don't want to waste your, or our resources on campaigns that aren't right for your organisation, if it doesn't get your organisation the difference you need - we prefer a better approach. When your business utilises social media management, Social Hire get your brand the exposure it needs and offer your business the lift it needs to improve.
Is it important to you to increase the digital footprint of your business by utilising online promotion, but can't work out how to begin?With the professional understanding of our digital experts working in your business, you can begin to see interaction, brand loyalty and enquiries get better without having to take your team out to spend time on ineffective marketing strategies, or spend money on a internal marketing manager with a view to get results that may not deliver!
Our group of specialists are an organisation that helps our clients boost their social media marketing by offering social media management services on a monthly basis.
You might like these blog posts 7 Tips to Target Your Social Media B2B Audience, How to Use Social Media to Engage With Your Clients, 7 Ways You Might Use LinkedIn For Business Gain, and 5 Ways You Can Build Trust By Humanising Your Brand On Social Media.
