Our guide to attracting great talent, even in a tough economy, will give you some talent spotting and scouting ideas.
1. Make Your Needs Clear
In times of economic uncertainty, businesses often receive a higher volume of applications. However, it does not necessarily mean that they are all valuable. Sifting through CVs and resumes is an arduous process, and it is only useful if you can identify a reasonable number of suitable candidates.
So, be as transparent as possible when writing your job advertisements. If demand is high, you do not have to be vague with your requests. You can get quite detailed and lay out the specific qualifications or requirements that you need. That way, you might get fewer applications, but a higher number will be viable.
2. Look for Creative Thinkers
What you do not want is people who are looking for any job, with no real qualms about what it entails or whether they will be any good at it. It would help if you had innovative and creative thinkers. One of the best places to scout for these individuals is in Coworking spaces operated by Servcorp.
Generally, forward thinkers tend to prefer collaborative environments. Every year, we welcome entrepreneurs from all lifestyles into our premium office spaces in central Singapore. There are six locations in total, spread across the central part of the city. All come with prestigious corporate addresses such as Marina Boulevard and Alexandra Road.
3. Be Honest and Transparent
You would be surprised at how common it is for businesses to oversell positions dramatically. Unfortunately, this is a strategy, which usually backfires. It is easy to see why. If you mislead a candidate, they will quickly realise the truth once they start their new job. Then, the likelihood of them quitting early is very high.
If it is, an entry-level position, with few benefits, be honest about it. Most young job hunters are happy to start in a primary position as long as there is an opportunity for advancement. Starting with transparency is a good way to show that you are a responsible company, with interest in treating employees respectfully.
4. A source from the Community
Traditionally, Singapore has had very liberal and relaxed foreign employment laws. In the last three years, however, the government has started to roll back some of this flexibility. It is concerned with protecting the rights of locals, so hiring from overseas is likely to get a little more complicated in future.
The truth is that foreign-owned or otherwise, it is crucial for businesses to work closely with local communities. Hiring from native talent pools is a big part of this. The country is routinely praised for having one of the most excellent education systems in the world. It is not difficult to source skilled individuals, and it is a good idea to make this a priority.
