Hays Resources & Mining regional director Simon Winfield said the search for the perfect candidate would always exist. However, if employers recognise how to determine those candidates suited to all aspects of the role, not just those with the correct technical skills, they are more likely to recruit and retain the best skills for their particular business.Winfield said rather than maintaining stringent prerequisites, employers could also consider the “cultural fit” of a potential employee, looking at how a candidate fits within the existing team, affinity with the company’s values and way it does business and their potential, in order to open a vacancy to a wider pool of suitable candidates. “Communication, initiative and level of ambition along with other soft skills applicable to the role – such as integrity, ability to participate as part of a team, customer service skills or ability to take project responsibility – are all good indications of how a candidate is likely to succeed in a role and fit in with the business culture,” Winfield said.“Many of the skills required for roles, particularly for entry-level roles, can be taught.“For example, previous experience with a particular computer package can be learnt and should not prevent the employment of a candidate who is otherwise the most suitable person for the role, has solid experience, suits the company, and who can become a highly valued asset with a little training.”Adam Shapley, regional director of Hays GlobaLink, a division of Hays sourcing United Kingdom candidates for the Australian market, said many Australian employers had expanded their notion of the perfect candidate to include overseas workers.“Over 200,000 British citizens left the UK in 2006 and Australia remains their most popular destination,” Shapley said.“This doesn’t include those here on working holiday visas, so there is a large pool of skilled and experienced jobseekers actively looking for a local role that employers can tap into. “These skills are a vital injection to the local candidate market, and targeting them before they leave the UK is one way to secure the best talent from this group of specialist skills.”According to Shapley, the option of looking abroad for new employees is proving to be a successful attraction strategy for local employers to fill vacancies when skills are in short supply. “Already many Australian employers have taken advantage of the UK candidate pool to employ candidates from project managers to forepersons for projects ranging from multi-million dollar developments to architecturally designed homes and accountants and lawyers for leading firms and multinationals,” he said.
