With the current skill shortage leaving talented candidates in the driving seat, you'll have to work a little harder than normal to recruit these skilled employees into your business. If you've been struggling to find the perfect fit for your team, it might be because the role you're looking to fill falls into this category. We break down the skills most in demand this year and what you can do to get yourself ahead of the game when it comes to recruiting these skills into your team.
Digital Skills
Without doubt, digital skills top the list of the biggest skill shortage in the UK year on year. From Excel experts to master programmers, recruiting digital know-how into your business is getting tougher as the pool of talented candidates isnt growing as fast as the demand.
Recruiting for the following skills? Make sure that youve got a plan in place to attract the best staff, because they top the list of skills most in demand:
- Python
- Excel
- Digital Marketing
- Facebook advertising
- Google Analytics
- Ethical Hacking
- Project Management
- iOS App development
- Web development
- Ruby on Rails
Soft Skills
It's not just digital skills that are proving popular though. Softer skills including communication and teamwork are topping every list of skills essential for candidates to have in 2018. The ability to work well across any level of business and successfully collaborate on projects is becoming more and more important, and less and less prevalent.
It's important to think about how you measure the effectiveness of a candidate in this area when you're interviewing them. Soft skills are harder to demonstrate, so make sure to ask questions that will illustrate their skills. Examples could include 'Tell me about a time when you worked as part of a team', 'What was your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?' and 'Have you been a member of a team that struggled or failed to accomplish it's goal? If so, what assessment did you make of the reasons for the failure?'
Salary
Whatever you're recruiting for, getting the salary right is key.
According to our survey, a whopping 1 in 3 candidates think that they're underpaid for their work, and this directly correlates to a candidate's loyalty. To successfully recruit and retain your staff this year, you need to make sure that you're paying the right amount to attract the staff that you want.
Need help salary banding? Our 2019 Salary Guide has all the information you need to pinpoint average salaries in your area. Download it today!
