Survey reveals that employers need the personal touch

This is according to the 2014 Kelly Global Workforce Index (KGWI); an annual survey revealing the opinions of 230,000 people from across the globe about the world of work and the global work space.

"While investing in strategic approaches in an effort to attract top talent remains the name of the game for recruiters, according to the KGWI 2014 survey, online job board postings and the use of social media are yielding the best results. The survey also reveals that building an 'authentic' connection with key prospects via regular and personalised communication channels are proving to be increasingly effective when engaging with active and passive job seekers," said Kelly Group sales executive Tracey Czakan.

Online job boards

The results of the KGWI survey with people from over 31 countries and in 20 different languages confirm that the ongoing quest to secure the best and brightest talent is a global one. "With 76% of prospects revealing a preference for online job board searches and 33% choosing company-specific job boards as their source of potential posts, it seems safe to say that employers need to consider meeting job seekers on their own terms. Connecting with them in their preferred ways and within their online platform of preference is a great way of achieving this," added Czakan.

"With that said, South African job seekers still favour word of mouth (20%), as well as recruitment agencies and staffing companies, with 20% of survey participants citing these channels as their most recent means of securing a post. Online job boards only scored 14% in comparison, meaning that local employers should continue to look at more traditional means when engaging with South African talent. However, growing your presence on online recruitment job boards is still advisable for those organisations wishing to keep abreast of international trends," explained Czakan.

Recruitment online

Although job boards were less of a favourable route in South Africa, an online application process scored well with South African survey participants. "Interestingly, the ability to submit a resume or CV electronically using various devices, such as your laptop or tablet, was the most influential factor when it came to a positive job application process. This scored 38% as opposed to an awareness of the salary range, which only came in at 7%," said Czakan.

Building talent communities

While talent communities are still considered to be relatively new, according to the KGWI survey having access to an organisation's key job opportunities (72%), as well as gaining company insights (43%) are cited as key benefits of this method of recruitment of global survey respondents, respectively.

"The result that, globally, 40% of those who do not currently participate in talent communities would be interested in doing so, illustrates that this concept is certainly a trend to look out for in the near future. In addition, 11% of the world's job seekers have indicated a preference to be contacted in this manner and 17% of employees actively participate in the online talent communities of potential employers," said Czakan.

Seal the deal

Several key factors have also been revealed in the Kelly Global Workforce Index as deal clinchers for job seekers. "It comes as no surprise that better benefits and more money will still lure top talent. With that said, the promise of an improved work-life balance, as well as opportunities for development can also help seal the deal. This search for personal fulfilment and professional growth should form part of candidate relationship building from the outset and companies who prioritise these factors will no doubt have the competitive advantage over other employers," added Czakan.

Personalised service

While South Africa's workplace is unique in many ways, the need for personalised service remains the same. Some 51% of local survey participants agreed with global sentiment that receiving periodic contact in the form of phone calls, emails and more, regarding work that fits their skillsets and interests is how they would like to be engaged by prospective employers. It seems that in today's world of work, engaging with top talent in an authentic and personalised manner is the way forward for employers of the future.