​Having lived all over the world and worked in the recruitment industry in a number of locations, including Sydney, Melbourne, Singapore and New York; I can confirm that finding and securing good talent is a global problem.

Why is it so hard to secure good talent?

Good candidates generally already have good jobs; and in most cases, they have set progression journeys internally. More often than not they are also well paid and respected within their organisation.

We have started to see a higher demand for specific skill sets particularly across Digital Marketing  with candidates who have these skill sets often being able to control the process a lot more than their counterparts,  knowing the market is in dire need of their specific skills.

What can companies do to attract good talent?

From my experience, headhunting is the most effective way to generate interest and engage in conversations with the top industry candidates.

Brand reputation and corporate image is very important to potential employees of your organisation, so it is crucial to have a strong ambassador representing your business when going to market. People want to work for brands they believe in and trust. With Millennials dominating the current workforce, a recent study from Deloitte shows that the millennial generation is feeling uneasy about the future and their strong preference is to work for an organisation that can provide them with diversity, inclusion and flexibility.

Counter offers are very common and almost always expected with top talent, so ensuring a smooth and professional candidate experience is essential to ensure that there is engagement throughout every step of the recruitment process.  Processes should be clear and avoid any grey area of uncertainty which may result in the candidate walking away from the offer at the last step.

Lastly, in order to attract the best talent to your business, it is important to be prepared at interview stage with a minimum 5-year career path and vision within your organisation so the candidate can see the bigger picture and be on the journey with you from the get go.

Jodi is a Senior Consultant at Parity Consulting, working across the Wealth and Asset Management sectors in Marketing, Communications and Digital. A high achiever by nature, Jodi takes pride in her adaptability and performance which has been the back bone of her achievements over her working career. Having lived in a number of countries with a lot of travelling in between, Jodi is our resident globetrotter and she, like many others in the Parity team, also considers herself a bit of a cheese lover.

For a confidential discussion or to explore new opportunities for 2019, Jodi can be contacted on jgarratt@parityconsulting.com.au or +61 405 381 550.