By Karl Sharman
As we prepare for more figures to be produced saying the amount of jobs unfilled has increased by another 20%, I want to challenge every person in a hiring capacity to really ask yourself – am I doing enough to ensure this role is filled?
The industry is crying out for change within workforce management and maybe improving your processes or your job descriptions will be your change for 2020. What if you could decrease your fill time to 2 weeks? What if you could fill these positions without it damaging your bottom line? What if you can increase your talent pool by 20%? All of this is possible and that’s the great part of working in cybersecurity.
If I was a betting person, most companies won’t change or will change for the month of January and go back to their old habits (I didn’t say the change was easy). So, I am going to predict the following and provide alternatives:
- Hiring a candidate will take on average over 3 months
Alternative: Hire people that have a network you can gain from, while also partnering with specialized recruiters to supplement and grow your talent pool. During the process, remove unnecessary interview stages or even do it all in one day, to decrease the time taken. I predict this will decrease your fill time to 2-3 weeks.
- You will replace as much as you grow
Alternative: Accept you will lose people; our salary reports states that 86% are open to moving. The two things you need to ensure you do this year, constantly grow your talent pool to provide depth and hire the right managers who can create a safe and ambitious environment for people to thrive.
- You will still use the same “wish list” job descriptions
Alternative: I challenge you to cut the job description to 3 key functions within the role and 3 “must-have” criteria. This will increase more women and neurodiversity candidates applying as our data proves.
- You will still make decisions on technical skills over soft skills
Alternative: Prioritize hiring on company and manager values. Set up a process that allows multiple voices to focus on values and behaviors within interviewing. Remember, technical skills can always be trained.
- You will still make education mandatory over talent and people skills
Alternative: Remove education. You can still have it as a benefit but in this industry, it will limit your talent pool if you make it mandatory. Many people transfer from different industries where it hasn’t been required or they train themself from a young age.
Now I am sure this is a lot to take in, but it is all possible if you want to achieve your hiring goals this year. We speak to many candidates who want to be a manager and hiring is a huge part of that role. My prediction in cybersecurity for 2020 is that people will hire managers who are successful at hiring including retaining talent. Poor recruitment will damage your organization’s bottom line, while great recruitment will lead to managerial success. Which one do you want to be this year?
About the Author
Karl Sharman is a Cyber Security specialist recruiter & talent advisor leading the US operations for BeecherMadden. After graduating from University, he was a lead recruiter of talent for football clubs including Crystal Palace, AFC Wimbledon & Southampton FC. In his time, he produced and supported over £1 million worth of talent for football clubs before moving into Cyber Security in 2017. In the cybersecurity industry, Karl has become a contributor, writer and podcast host alongside his full-time recruitment focus. Karl can be reached online at [email protected], on LinkedIn and at our company website http://www.beechermadden.com