What career-changers can offer any business – and how to attract them

Employers struggling to find the skills they require would be wise to trawl this largely overlooked pool of high-potential talent.

October 06, 2023
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Employers struggling to find the skills they require would be wise to trawl this largely overlooked pool of high-potential talent. But that may entail ditching some conventional recruitment wisdom.

The UK recruitment market is widely expected to loosen further in H2 2023, but labour shortages remain a significant concern for employers, with the number of vacancies still exceeding historic levels.

Of the British firms surveyed for the World Economic Forum’s 2023 Future of Jobs Report, 40% predicted that they would find it harder to obtain all the skilled people they were likely to need over the next five years.

Given that the war for talent is clearly far from over, recruiters would be well advised to spread their nets as widely as possible. Those that target people seeking a change of career could gain a crucial competitive advantage.

That’s the view of Kiera Harper, director of technical qualifications and essential skills on the government’s Skills for Life programme.

“Career-changers will often bring transferable skills, knowledge and practices that can encourage fresh perspectives in a business and result in more efficient and considered ways of working,” she says.

Such qualities are especially important given the rapid changes occurring in certain occupations, notes Khyati Sundaram, CEO of Applied, a platform applying behavioural science to recruitment.

“Some jobs will disappear, some will appear magically and some will change,” she says. “By learning lots of different skills, career-changers can be more resilient. They bring informational and behavioural diversity.”

Yet many employers overlook such qualities, often viewing the need to give career-changers industry-specific training as a barrier to hiring them.

Original Article: Raconteur

Drive innovation and growth in your business by enriching perspectives and skills. For all your recruitment challenges – contact our HR & digital recruitment specialist Gareth Allison on 02920 620702

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