You have been tasked with developing a team within time constraints, to achieve an ambitious budget. The team you adopt impose a challenge; select members struggle to comprehend task requirements, others more proficient display fatigue from carrying the lion share of work, and a few are resentful of both old and new management due to a myriad of reasons. As a good manager you identify the personal and professional needs of each team member, develop a plan that incorporates their personalities and skillset in order to extract the best possible performance from each individual. Unfortunately, however despite genuine intent not all best laid plans come to fruition, and the need to acquire new talent may be on the horizon.
The arrangement of resourcing to curtail existing poor performance in conjunction to expanding a team may cause significant delays in commercial outcomes. If you fail to run a robust, considered hiring process, you face the likelihood of turning candidates over regularly, impacting your business culture and further compounding the risk to your department’s performance and personal sanity!
Instances like these can be mitigated by having a strong resourcing strategy that aligns to the business plan and core objectives, ensuring that whilst monitoring performance indicators, you are also identifying the risks in existing teams to organise talent where required. This is where APSG can assist you. We work with you in developing resourcing plans catered to you and your organisation’s needs, refining candidates down to those that are most likely to be successful for the role you wish to fill. At APSG, we have gone through similar experiences and understand what it takes to turn teams around as well as develop new ones.
Skill vs Will: pros and cons of each and which benefits your organisation more?
Are you recruiting based on candidate skill or will? Okay, we get it’s going to be a mixture of the two, but how do we approach this assessment of skill versus will and ensure the selected candidate meets both requirements for a particular role? Ideally, a dream candidate is a tenacious expert who can step in without training and consistently exceed KPIs. However, in talent acquisition, hiring managers are consistently faced with a crossroads; do we favour the candidate with proven skills or less experience with the tenacious will to be successful?
In talent acquisition, we are constantly gauging the balance between finding those with experience (i.e. skill) and those with the passion and tenacity for the job (i.e. will). We cannot predict the future and guessing how the skillset, or the will of a candidate applies to a role adds another level of complexity to the already arduous task of hiring new staff. Consequently, hiring the right person for a role is difficult and only exacerbated when faced with several strong candidates. In such instances, management can certainly get stuck in discerning which candidate is the crème de la crème. So, how do you strike the right balance between skill and will when hiring? Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of both approaches.
Pros of skills-based talent acquisition:
- Proven track record: When you acquire talent based on skill, you know the candidate has a proven track record of being able to perform the tasks required by the job. This can give you confidence that they will be able to hit the ground running and make a positive contribution to the organization.
- Efficiency: Skilled employees are often able to work more efficiently because they have the necessary knowledge and expertise to complete tasks quickly and accurately. This can save time and resources and help your organization run more smoothly.
- Transferability: Skills are often transferable, which means that an employee who has developed a particular set of skills in one job may be able to apply them to other roles or industries. This can be useful if you need to fill a role on short notice or if you’re looking for someone who can adapt to different environments.
Cons of skills-based talent acquisition:
- Lack of fit: While skills are important, they don’t always translate into a good fit for the organization. An employee who is highly skilled but doesn’t share the same values or culture as the organization may not be a good long-term fit.
- Limited potential: If you focus too much on skills, you may miss out on candidates who don’t have as much experience but have a lot of potential. These candidates may not have all the skills you’re looking for yet, but they may be more open to learning and development, which can be a valuable asset.
- Stagnation: If you only recruit people who already have the skills you need, you may end up with a workforce that is not open to change or innovation. This can lead to stagnation and make it harder for your organization to adapt to new challenges.
Pros will-based talent acquisition:
- Commitment: When you hire someone based on their will, you know that they are committed to the job and the organization. This can lead to higher levels of employee engagement and productivity.
- Learning potential: Candidates who are motivated and willing to learn can be valuable assets because they are open to new ideas and ways of doing things. This can help your organization stay fresh and innovative.
- Cultural fit: Will is often closely tied to cultural fit. When you hire someone who shares the same values and culture as the organization, you’re more likely to have a harmonious and productive team.
Cons of will-based talent acquisition:
- Lack of skills: While will is important, it’s not enough on its own. Candidates who are highly motivated but don’t have the necessary skills may struggle to perform the tasks required by the job, which can lead to frustration and lower productivity.
- Limited experience: Candidates who are highly motivated but have limited experience may require more training and support to get up to speed. This can be time-consuming and costly for the organization.
- Misalignment: While will is important, it’s not always a good predictor of job performance. Candidates who are highly motivated may not always have the right skills or experience
Incorporating an assessment of these pros and cons for a candidate’s skill and will can be useful in the talent acquisition process, however, to do so properly, the hiring manager and the organisation itself must have clear parameters for the role. Achieving this in the first place can be an onerous task enough. At APSG we work with our clients to ensure that a detailed needs assessment is generated. Truly understanding our client’s needs is vital in our proactive approach to recruitment. Having a strong understanding of your “goal” ensures transparency and has been proven to significantly decrease the recruitment time-frame.
Contact APSG today to discuss your needs today.
