So, with a new issue of PES going to press and a new financial year in the offing, is it time to boost your business with some new recruits? We asked Adam Grainger (Global Head of Energy and Engineering, Networkers International) to give our subscribers his five top tips for identifying quality candidates.
1) Identify your resource needs
Before hiring a new member of staff it is important that you consider the skills your business will need in order to function properly and complete the tasks at hand. In a growing industry such as renewable energy, it is important to ensure you have the right amount of suitably skilled individuals to ensure the growth of your business keeps pace with the industry and that of your competitors. A combination of resource and succession planning will allow your business to identify upcoming skills gaps that need to be filled or areas of risk if an individual were to leave the organisation.
2) Skills and personality specification
As the renewable energy industry is relatively young there is a limited supply of candidates with prior experience. These skilled individuals are a commodity and are subject to the laws of supply and demand just like any other. In order to keep a cap on staff costs it may be necessary to consider individuals from comparable industries with relevant and transferable skills. These individuals will often consider lower salaries in order to break into the sector and can also be highly skilled in all of the areas required for the position.
3) Pick your package
High levels of staff turnover can vastly hinder your business, and while salary is not the only factor in employees jumping ship, it does play an important part. The internet offers your employees the chance to view literally hundreds of jobs in the renewable energy sector that maybe paying more or less than their current wage. It is important that you regularly carry out salary benchmarking to ensure you are paying your employees the right amount based on their skills and geographic location.
4) Candidate attraction
A well written and well placed advertisement will attract candidates who are actively seeking a job and have a close eye on the marketplace, however, this will not attract those that may be interested in coming to work for you but are too busy in their current post to scour magazines and the internet. Working closely with a specialist recruitment company in the renewables sector will allow you to extend your search to cover a wider pool of candidates.
5) Create a winning brand
It is also imperative that you have a good ’employer brand’. If you get your employer brand right you will always have a steady flow of candidates knocking at your door enquiring about vacancies. Taking the time and spending some money on a good careers section on your website can save you thousands in recruitment and advertising costs.
Catch the new issue of PES for the full article, complete with even more essential recruitment tips
