Addressing & Overcoming Skill Shortages Within Your Organization

In today's fast-paced business environment, companies face an increasing number of challenges, one of which is the shortage of specific skills. As the job market becomes more competitive, it becomes essential for companies to address skill shortages effectively to ensure their continued growth and success. In this blog post, we will discuss several strategies that companies can use to address skill shortages.

Identify Specific Skills in Short Supply

The first step in addressing skill shortages is to identify the specific skills that are in short supply. This can be done through surveys, interviews, or focus groups with employees and managers. Companies can create a plan to address these specific skills by identifying them. It's also important to consider the company's long-term skill needs and anticipate any future skill shortages that may arise.

For example, if a company is looking to hire a product manager who can assist with introducing new products or services, he/she may need to acquire skills such as:

• Conducting market research to analyze if there is a demand for the product.
• Possess a strategic mindset for creating a product's vision and roadmap.
• Possess excellent communication and negotiation skills to coordinate with internal and external stakeholders.

Refocus Your Recruitment Mindset

To avoid the costs of making a bad hiring decision, recruiters, HR, and hiring managers frequently identify potential red flags in resumes, such as age, criminal history, disabilities, etc.

Implement the following strategies to avoid losing out on skilled talent:

• When evaluating resumes and job applications, pay close attention to the knowledge, skills, and competencies you are looking for in the role. Veterans have highly transferable qualities like leadership, teamwork, and attention to detail that can help most organizations, while older workers frequently have years of experience, job expertise, and polished skills.
• Determine whether a candidate also possesses other intangible qualities like drive, loyalty, a desire to achieve, and a feeling of purpose. Look for candidates that have enthusiasm and a willingness to learn.

Revise Your Hiring Procedures

In addition to critically reviewing resumes, examining hiring procedures will help ensure that your company is not passing up on qualified talent. Here are a few suggestions to improve existing HR procedures:

• Concentrate job advertisements on the desired knowledge, skills, and abilities for the job rather than education, experience, or other requirements that may or may not be required.
• Advertisements should encourage all interested parties to apply and indicate hiring preferences without discouraging anyone from applying.
• Ensure that qualified job candidates are given the opportunity to explain why they are the best fit for your open position. Understanding an applicant's background and current motivation is more important than ever. For instance, inquire, "What qualifications do you possess that make you the best candidate for this position? Include any additional training you have received, such as on-the-job training, college, seminars, reading, and related work experience."

Provide Training and Development Opportunities

Investing in the development of current employees can help fill skill gaps and retain talented staff. This can include on-the-job training, mentoring, and formal education programs:

• On-the-job training is an excellent way for employees to gain practical experience and apply what they have learned in real-world situations.
• Mentoring programs can also be effective, as they allow employees to learn from more experienced colleagues.
• Formal education programs, such as degree or certification programs, can benefit employees who need to acquire specific skills or knowledge.

Providing training and development opportunities can also help employees acquire new skills and knowledge that will enable them to take on new responsibilities and advance in their careers. It's also essential to create a culture of learning within the company, where employees are encouraged and supported to develop their skills and knowledge continuously.

Utilize Technology and Automation

Many companies are finding that technology can help bridge skill gaps. For example, using automation tools such as AI can help employees work more efficiently and effectively, even if they lack specific skills. Automation can also help companies reduce their dependence on employees with particular skills and allow companies to scale their operations more efficiently.

Companies can also use technology to support employee training and development. For example, utilizing technology for online learning platforms and mobile learning apps can provide employees with access to training materials and resources. Virtual reality and simulations can also provide employees hands-on experience in a safe and controlled environment.

Leverage The Use Of Contingent Workers

Hiring contingent workers is, of course, one of the simplest ways to fill skill shortages. With freelancers, consultants, contractors, and others, you can quickly and cost-effectively fill massive gaps in your operation. Contingent workers are quickly becoming a popular option for many businesses. Their expertise, availability, and flexibility enable them to work within any timeframe, budget, or project constraints.

Unlike in many other areas of the labor market, the number of contingent workers is growing. The result? There are sufficient contingent workers to meet your requirements for as long as you require.

On the other hand, companies should be wary of relying too heavily on contingent workers. While a contingent workforce can assist in filling an immediate skills shortage, it is only a band-aid solution because it doesn't address the underlying issues that led to the skills gap in the first place.

Pro Strategy: Partner With A Specialist Outsourcing Company Like TASC

For many businesses, recruiting and training new employees with the right skills for their specific needs has become increasingly difficult. With many job openings going unfilled, companies are looking for other solutions to fill their resource gaps. One solution is outsourcing recruitment services with a specialist like ours, which allows businesses to access experienced professionals without having to go through lengthy recruitment processes or expend valuable resources on training.

Outsourcing can help businesses overcome skill shortages in numerous ways:

• Having access to experienced professionals who can hit the ground running and immediately contribute value can be invaluable when dealing with complex tasks or projects requiring specialized knowledge.
• Outsourcing also allows companies to tap into global expertise; if local talent isn't available, companies can turn overseas, where there might be more options or better-suited candidates.
• Outsourcing qualified talent results in significant cost savings; hiring a full-time employee requires additional costs, such as employee benefits and training costs, that don't apply to outsourcing services.
• This makes it much more affordable for companies of any size to access the skills they need without having substantial overhead costs.

Overcome Today's Skill Shortages With TASC Outsourcing

Companies have been turning towards outsourcing services as a solution for years now, and its popularity continues even in light of recent economic challenges as businesses look for ways of filling gaps left by skill shortages while staying within budget constraints.

TASC is the leading HR solutions specialist that provides end-to-end staffing solutions to some of the world's leading regional, multinational and governmental organizations across the MENA region. Our dedicated team of recruitment experts and HR specialists have an in-depth understanding of candidates across various industries and markets. We can help you source, attract, and recruit the world's finest candidates across the world.

Get in touch with us now to close your skills gap effectively.