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Recruitment & Selection

It's not just about qualifications

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:40

“Senior, professional candidates are often unable to ‘tell their story’. If they provide their qualifications and a list of their duties, they mistakenly believe that this will suffice. This is not enough.Today, it is not just about qualifications, it is about hard skills,says Energy at Work Executive: Finance and Engineering, Vicki Marais-Swanepoel.

The job market is very competitive. Trawling Job Boards and portals, confirms that there are thousands of prospective candidates seeking employment.

“CVs are often generic and well-matched.If candidates post their CV on social media sites, company’s website, or fax this to a prospective employer, it is important to recognise that their CV is one of many, and can therefore, be over looked very easily unless it is distinctive and really stands out. Candidates also need to recognise that unless they are specialist sales people, they are not generally able to sell themselves really well,” Marais-Swanepoel cautions.

Similarly, when confronted by thousands of prospective candidates, with CVs, which all look very similar, in-house HR recruiters, do not have the requisite time, skills or job-specific knowledge to be able to identify, which CVs are best, and which candidates can potentially add value to their business.

Because the job market is so competitive, candidates need to really ‘sell themselves.’ “This is why professional representation through a professional agent is so important. A professional agent understands the environment, in which they operate, and what makes them unique and different, and is therefore, able to assist and guide them to put the best possible CV and profile together,” she explains.

Employers are no longer looking for a CV: they are looking for a portfolio of evidence. “Candidates need to be able to prove what they say they are able to do. This is quite distinct from listing qualifications. They need to prove that they are able to add value. It is no longer about a candidate’s perceived strengths and weaknesses. It is about proving that you can do what you say you can do. It is also about how candidates represent themselves. Candidates, in certain professions, such as engineering, are not generally able to do this very well,” she informs.

Recruitment is a highly specialised field, requiring specific technical skills and competencies. “It takes time, specialisation and in-depth knowledge to find the right people. It also takes time and special skills to ‘tell a candidate’s story’ and best present her. By presenting prospective candidates optimally and by presenting employers with only the very best candidates, recruitment agents create a win-win situation for candidates and employers alike,” Marais-Swanepoel concludes.