INTHEBLACK December 2023/January 2024 Special Edition - Flipbook - Page 16
“Looking at what an employee could
be in the future, rather than relying too
much on where they have come from,
is also a shift in focus that can have
meaningful results.”
DR EDWIN TREVOR-ROBERTS, TREVOR-ROBERTS
Poon says that, in thinking laterally, companies
may need to put new hires through more training
processes. However, it can be even more effective
to partner them with a mentor, he says.
“On-the-job training by a senior staff member
is definitely more beneficial to the candidate.”
IDENTIFYING ALIGNED SKILLS
By role-mapping – listing the core skills and
the peripheral skills needed for a position –
employers may be able to broaden their pool
of valuable candidates, says Shivani Gopal, CEO
of women’s leadership and education network
The Remarkable Woman.
“For example, someone who has worked in
sales has strong skills around relationship and
crisis management that may be able to be utilised
in other roles,” she says.
“An employee who has worked in law and does
well with detailed processes and procedures could
excel in an operational role.
“Similarly, you might find someone for a
finance-related position by considering, among
other things, their ability to problem-solve.”
Blind job-matching removes the bias, says Gopal.
“You are hiring people for skills rather than titles.”
“Looking at what an employee could be in the
future, rather than relying too much on where they
have come from, is also a shift in focus that can have
meaningful results,” says Dr Edwin Trevor-Roberts,
CEO of Trevor-Roberts, a career management firm that
helps organisations build thriving work environments.
“The problem with graduate programs and
defined development pathways is that a person
can be seen as ‘the class of 2018’. One individual,
however, may show much more growth and promise
than another,” he says.
“Very often, managers don’t see how people have
changed and evolved over time. We don’t see they
could do something different.”
16 INTHEBLACK Dec 2023/Jan 2024 SPECIAL EDITION
FOCUS ON JOB DESIGN
Job design also matters, says Trevor-Roberts.
“People join a firm because they are naturally
attracted to being able to use their skills and
competencies to do interesting work.
“For accountants, a job that involves compliance
work or audits, for example, may be made more
attractive by the fact it involves interesting clients
or environments.”
While hiring managers are looking to identify
transferable skills, they should also hold up
the mirror and see what the opportunities to
use those skills look like. It is a given that a
position will attract more applicants if it offers
a solid remuneration strategy and gender pay
parity, flexible working, perks such as health
insurance, upskilling opportunities and a
strong company culture.
Yet, meaningful work
is now more important
than ever, as the best
and the brightest seek
impactful choices on
LISTEN
their career journey.
to an audio recording
This is especially true
of this story
of millennials, who want
to find purpose in their
role. This can simply mean
that they have the ability
to push a project forward
LISTEN
and be taken seriously
to a podcast on
soft skills
by colleagues.
In an employment
market where vacancies
are likely to exceed
numbers of candidates
READ
for some time, a
an INTHEBLACK
combination of strategies
article on workplaces
is most likely to ensure
of the future
hiring success. ●
