What’s in it for you? Employers put the focus back on candidates trying to find their career path

Employee Value Propositions (EVP) and attractive incentives are once again in focus as employers consider candidates who have potential rather than solely those who are an exact fit for the role, says recruiting experts Hays.

According to Hays, this is occurring for candidates who have transferable skills or potential, and express a desire to move for career development rather than salary reasons.

“Employers are going back to the drawing board and seeking to lure candidates by looking at their ‘what’s in it for you?’ appeal,” says Emma Charnock, Regional Director of Hays in China and Hong Kong. “They are overhauling their compensation and benefits schemes, career development programs and brand in the market to attract and retain high quality talent.”

“In-demand candidates are surrounded by job opportunities, so employers with a strong brand and awareness in the market, combined with a robust EVP will be in the best position to compete and secure them.

“That’s why forward-thinking employers are making sure their EVP is clear and reflects the reality of working at their business. We are also seeing a number of different incentives being used to bring new recruits on board including offering higher titles, market-competitive salaries, comprehensive training programs, mobility, better work/life balance and complimentary English lessons. In the education sector, schools are keeping a closer eye on their new recruits and offering support to help them settle in and adjust to the different culture.

“Given the shortage of talent in many areas, employers are making the focus about the employee which is a terrific step to ensure the candidate feels valued and appreciated.

“Hiring based on potential has also become an increasingly notable trend in the market, as there is a shortage of perfect candidates who tick all the boxes. We are seeing this occurring with a number of information technology employers, in particular. To address the obvious skills shortage being felt in the market, many employers are now willing to consider taking on junior candidates who they can train up. “This is a great example of employers demonstrating more flexibility in workforce planning. While it certainly benefits the junior candidate by giving them the opportunity to break into the workforce and develop their skills, in the long run it also helps to retain them with the business. We are finding there is less expectation now to find candidates that meet all of the requirements and employers are more flexible in terms of years of experience. Bilingual skills are however becoming the norm.”

Hays, the world’s leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people.

For further information please contact Kathy Lou, Marketing Manager of Hays in China, on +86 (0) 21 2322 9600 or Kathy.Lou@hays.cn

About Hays
Hays is the leading global specialist recruiting group. It is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide. It operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments.

As at 30 June 2011, Hays employed 7,620 staff operating from 255 offices in 31 countries across 20 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2011, Hays reported net fees of £672 million and operating profit of £114 million and placed around 60,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 190,000 people into temporary assignments. 31% of Group net fees were generated in Asia Pacific.

Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the United Kingdom and the USA