There is a lot of evidence in the literature that recruitment as we commonly understand it started with the industrial revolution in the 18th century. But we could go back a little further, for example to prehistoric times and the need for man to survive, to feed himself, to protect himself and thus have to unite to be stronger. Alone, it was very difficult to subsist, to gather the good things, then later to hunt without tools, then to build these last ones to be more effective. It was therefore necessary to recruit in order to create a group, and in order to do so, one had to convince, admittedly rather summarily and naturally, because of physiological reasons, but convince nonetheless. Of course, there was no process to speak of, each one having to bring the other to become his ally in the gathering, the hunting, or the elaboration of weapons. To make the right choices, it was necessary to know why, who and how to recruit.
With globalization, the multiplication of the types of companies, small and medium-sized businesses, large companies, multinationals, start-ups, and even self-employment, talents have the choice and decide where they want to go. Until a few years ago, companies were in the business of publishing job offers and - alea jacta es - come what may. Today we have headhunters, independent recruitment firms and consultants. We talk about attracting, developing and training talent, and offering a turnkey permanent contract is no longer enough. Recruiters used to be generalists, no matter the type of position, the need, the seniority or the urgency, the same people did it all. But when it comes to finding very specific people and therefore very specific skills, there can be no approximation or improvisation. To attract and convince someone, no matter what the field of activity, you need to speak at least the same language, have the same vocabulary and, moreover, have expertise in the field. Because the technical nature of jobs is becoming increasingly important. But being an expert is not enough, it is also important that the company offers challenges that can be taken up and an attractive environment. With social networks (Linkedin, various job sites, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.) candidates are overwhelmed by proposals. Just like a child lost in the aisles of a candy store, the 2.0 candidate is as amazed as he is lost. Recruiters therefore specialize in one area, but must also be very creative. Providing an enhanced candidate experience has become a standard today when it comes to attracting talent. Top performers create and manage a pipeline of internal and external candidates. They are working with schools and training institutes to enlist the most promising young graduates. Companies are implementing new ways of recruiting: games, role-playing, group stages, stress tests, co-assessment... Differentiating from the competition in form is becoming more important than in content, but few candidates are fooled. The proposed project remains the central element in the choice.
85% of the occupations of 2030 do not yet exist according to a study by Dell and the Institute for the Future . Whether it's from the perspective of the hiring company or the job seekers, we're reaching a level of complexity here that's quite comical. One doesn't know who they are looking for and the other doesn't know they are wanted. This is where the forward-looking management of jobs and skills becomes fundamental. The development and sustainability of a company are strongly linked to the implementation of a coherent GPEC policy. And to do this, it is not only a question of execution, but of strategy which must first be discussed and decided. Why should this be done? Simply because a GPEC strategy cannot be improvised and requires a financial investment in line with its business ambitions. Anticipation implies having a precise knowledge of what has been done in the past and visibility on the actors that make up the company. The objective is to get ahead, not to fall behind competitors and to have the right resources in the future. To do this, we will have to change our reference point: we are no longer talking about the search for talent or professionals in a given field, but rather about skills. We will have to identify, evaluate, develop and plan this management. Let's focus on the first step, identification: what skills are you looking for and where are they located? This first step alone is a major undertaking. What types of skills do you need? You probably want to have a vision of the so-called "technical" know-how but also of the experience of your employees. An employee who parachutes or volunteers as a firefighter acquires experience that is either transferable today or that will be useful for the jobs of "tomorrow". Candidates' resumes, which hopefully were digitized when they were hired, are eventually the first entry points for human resources to start a skills mapping. The second are social networks, if employees have been willing to have an online profile and update it. Few employees will communicate their skills internally by themselves. These skills are totally unknown assets for the company and yet so strategic for the future. It is therefore essential to set up a discovery process. Again, you can easily imagine the magnitude of the task.
Technology will support, simplify, accelerate and historicize the recruitment process, but it will not recruit for you. The development of a recruitment strategy and its execution depends solely on the company and its employees. Technology will never be a magic wand. Nevertheless, in a totally connected world, where the amount of data and information is increasing at an exponential rate, it is important to be able to capture it, integrate it, and make it intelligible in order to extract a competitive advantage for development. In the context of recruitment, for example, just the approval and follow-up workflows alone are consuming in terms of resources and time. Multinationals and even startups can have up to seven interviews to find the right person for each hire. Once the candidate is recruited, the work does not stop there. In view of the increasing number of resignations before the end of the trial period, it is important to have an on-boarding and integration process that is commensurate with the investment made in recruitment. In addition, there are the legal obligations related to hiring: the single declaration, registration with the pension funds, registration with the occupational medicine service, keeping a single personnel register, registering with the labor inspectorate and drawing up the payroll.
Having the right technological tools at their disposal allows the most advanced companies to focus on innovation, strategy and to have a predictive management of their human resources.
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