Modern Business Magazine May 2016 | Page 48

MODERN PEOPLE Successful recruitment means walking a mile in your candidates’ shoes By Christine Khor F amous American author Dale Carnegie once said, “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years of trying to get other people interested in you.” The same thinking needs to be applied to recruitment if businesses want to win the war for talent. 48 ModernBusiness May 2016 The legacy of the industrial revolution has us operating under the archaic idea that people should be grateful for employment. However, in the face of rapid business growth and relatively low unemployment, Australian organisations are in the midst of a skills shortage. This skills shortage has meant that truly talented people have their pick of jobs and can be a lot more discerning with opportunities. Therefore, in an increasingly tight talent market, the secret to attracting great people comes from switching the focus from the company, to the candidate. Rather than resting on your laurels and believing that talent should be clambering to work for your brand, it pays to refocus your efforts to answer the question “What would my target talent want?” In