2015 and the war for talent

Buzzwords such as talent mapping, talent retention and engagement strategies have become very popular and all highlight the dire need that companies feel to attract and retain their top people.

Power of the employee

We recently saw how powerful employees have become when a certain local TV shows producers weren't paying them enough. They took to the streets and battled, the war for talent was on. We seem to be entering an era of consumer and employee power, which is exciting and positive and is making service providers sit up and take note. Gen-y and gen-x are not happy with merely knowing a few bits and pieces, they want to know the full facts and be involved in decisions that impact their lifestyles and influence their career path. Companies that identify this will be the ones that win the best talent.

Career trends

So in light of this, here are 6 of the top career trends that could be seen in 2015:

1. Increase in flexible hours and work spaces - Highly skilled, engaged and passionate employees are a dime a dozen. They also tend to lead very active lives which means that flexibility is a huge draw card when considering job opportunities. Of course this is all within reason, and certain measures have to be put in place in order for employees to achieve their job requirements however hot desking, working from home and virtual meetings are all important for employers to consider when trying to attract the best talent.

2. Social Media Recruiting - more and more companies are harnessing the power of Facebook, Twitter and Linked In to recruit. Whole internal divisions and strategies have been built around this in order to attract talent through these mediums. This trend will continue further into 2015 with more South African companies following the trends of the US and UK and harnessing the power of social media.

3. Continuous Job Searchers - today's working population is not content to stay with the same company for years. A recent study done (Forbes.com) showed that 85% of employees are already searching for work outside their current occupation while a third of employers expect their workers to job hop. This therefore means that companies will be searching for solid retention and employee engagement strategies in order to make sure that their top talent stay with them.

4. Viewer insights - as the access to technology increases, there is a fundamental increase in companies tracking, plotting, analysing, curating and storing data about their employees, customers and competitors. There are thousands of CRM, Sales and HR Software systems available, proving that companies are eagerly gathering this information. From a career perspective this means that more roles are being created in this space such as data analysts and software developers to manage this huge amount of data.

5. A move towards graphic CVs - Infographic CVs are already used to an extent in the creative industry, however we are seeing a movement towards more visually interesting CVs in the general business environment. Treemaps, pictograms, bubble charts, experience timelines and language maps are all very attractive forms of displaying your skills and experience. There are a variety of online portals available that assist in this process. So start getting creative in 2015!

6. Mobile recruiting - With millennials and Gen-X's making up 75% of the workforce globally by 2015, the use of smart phones and tablets to look and apply for jobs is as normal as putting shoes on your feet. Companies attracting staff need to make sure that their websites are responsive and easily navigable and treat their mobile sites with as much care and consideration, perhaps even more so, than their regular websites.
   

In essence companies need to be clever in their recruiting and devise strategies that are unique and company cultures that attract and nurture top talent. If your competitors are offering gym contracts, canteen lunches, opportunities for growth and annual bonuses and you're not, chances are they will snap up the best talent in the market. It's a war, you better get your armour on...

We wish all our BizCareers a wonderful and relaxing festive season and a prosperous and happy 2015.
Remember to always Love What You Do!