Why do We Need to Change our Style of Hiring? Wagering on new talent and taking chances will result in employing talent best suited to the company

As times change, so do the job market and the talent pools from which companies recruit talent. The current set of employees in any organization or sector comprises of a mix of Gen X, Gen Y and millennials, all working together to achieve the company's objectives. Is it time for companies to take a fresh look at how they hireso as to maintain the balance between these very contrasting generations?

In today' scenario, highly skilled jobseekers are willing to take risks for their career aspirations and life goals, hence becoming more demanding of employers. In turn, organizations should look at innovative ways of attracting talent like:

Define Objectives Instead Of Job Descriptions

A new hire is expected to achieve certain objectives which should be defined, instead of the position and a generic job description for the role. It helps jobseekers as well as the organization in matching the right person to the job.

Smarter Screening

A structured candidate form is the first impression of the jobseeker, apart from the more detailed CV. Hirers should start including personality assessment questions in these forms to understand the person better. Such qualitative assessment should be binding for executive/senior roles where the person's attitude and behaviour are as important as the work experience she brings with her.

Adopting Campus Hiring Techniques

When interviewing a large number of candidates for a particular role, especially in middle management or critical positions, organizations can incorporate informal/formal group discussions like they do for campus hiring. This will help gauge a candidate's behaviour, certain personality traits and team skills.

Alternative Talent Pools

Today, there are a number of portals where people interact with others based on common interests, both professional and personal. These platforms can serve as interesting resource pools to consider when hiring. For example: if a company is looking to hire app developers or UI/UX experts, it might want to explore developer forums and user-generated content websites where developers often discuss, interact and solve problems for each other.

Relook at Rejected Candidates

If there was a good candidate who was rejected for a better one, it could do well to tap the formerfor future openings. People add experience, new skills and talent in their repertoire over time, and hence a formerly rejected candidate might fit the bill better when re-evaluated.

Proactive Hiring

What are the odds that the right candidate for an open position is looking for a job when you have one? Low. Though a long-term commitment, companies should shift from reactive hiring that forces one to "settle' for the best candidate only out of those that applied, to proactive hiring, where there is prolonged engagement with jobseekers and an active talent pool.

Every industry faces its own challenges when it comes to deciding what kind of talent to hire. However, companies ranging from start-ups to established conglomerates are hiring management graduates from elite B-schools. This brings in a set of fresh, enthusiastic talent that desires to bring about change in the organization andforces the company to rethink the "done thing'. Organizations also tend to depend on internal hiring, especially in the middle management cadre. The assumption is that existing employees would match the skill sets required better than taking a chance with the unknown. This closes the door to bringing in talent that does NOT think like its employees and could do things differently and better than its existing lot.

Hiring policies should be revised from time to time. A wave of transformation can be created if companies change their recruitment strategy, resulting in appointing those with either a holistic understanding of the industry or the drive for change. Wagering on new talent and taking chances will result in employing talent best suited to the company.