Locking in successful job applicants

Dr Andrea Cullen at CAPSLOCK asks how recruiters can stop the issue of ‘cut and run’ among skilled workers

While recent figures show that competition in the UK job market is high, with on average 2.09 job seekers per vacancy, it very much remains an ‘employees’ market’ when it comes to skilled workers. The country continues to face a shortage, both in terms of broader STEM skills such as cyber-security and sector-specific skills such as engineering.

The skills shortage is more than just a recruitment challenge – it poses a serious challenge to the UK’s global competitiveness and is set to cost the country £120 billion by 2030. Having a highly skilled workforce is crucial for innovation, productivity and economic growth and organisations struggling to find or retain the right talent risk falling behind. 

No matter the industry, a highly skilled and trained professional pipeline is essential for sustaining growth and maintaining competitiveness in a global economy. However, we often see issues around ‘cut and run’ hiring amongst this workforce... 

Lengthy hiring and onboarding 

In an employee market, it’s understandable that candidates may take their time to evaluate offers. And it’s certainly not uncommon for an individual to accept a role, have the contract signed and then ‘cut and run’ if they receive a better offer elsewhere. Whether that’s for a more competitive salary, a better bonus offer, more benefits or in pursuit of more flexible working policies. 

However, this problem is made more acute in roles that have a lengthy hiring and onboarding process. A great example of this is the time it takes for candidates to go through security clearance for roles within government departments and in the private sectors such as aerospace and defence, or financial services. 

The process can be elongated based on the level of clearance needed for seniority or function. For example, it’s not uncommon for cyber security professionals – even at entry level – to take between four to five months to go through security clearance in defence or government organisations or jobs relating to critical national infrastructure or industrial control systems. 

‘Cut and run’ is not uncommon in such situations as the touchpoints with candidates are few and far between, often leaving them feeling left in the dark. They drop out of recruitment processes due to prolonged hiring timelines, often finding other opportunities before finalising with the original employer. 

From an employer perspective, it’s particularly detrimental. It takes time to hire skilled professionals in a small talent pool. They waste resources and costs channelled into the hiring process and it could potentially cause operational disruptions due to the vacancy. It may also negatively impact the morale and engagement among the broader team that has been promised this long-awaited new colleague. 

Recruit, train and deploy

There are ways that organisations can avoid this to retain talent and streamline the hiring process. A proactive approach is needed where organisations leverage the waiting periods for productive training and onboarding as part of the recruitment process. 

There is no doubt that technical skills can be taught on the job. What can’t be as easily learned are impact skills, such as problem-solving and creative thinking. With a shortage of skilled workers, it makes sense for organisations to think outside of the box when looking to fill hard to recruit roles. They should be considering hiring people that may not necessarily fit the mould of what they’d consider a ‘traditional candidate’. And ensure hiring managers are prioritising skills and experience over qualifications to encourage those from non-traditional routes into the respective role or industry. 

The months employers spend waiting for their new recruits to pass the necessary hurdles could be better spent upskilling them through targeted training. For example, this could include training in security, risk management, coding or threat knowledge. This keeps the future employees engaged in the onboarding process, feeling valued and already invested in before they’ve started. Once they’ve gone through the training schedule, the employer can deploy them into their roles – with them ready to hit the ground running, demonstrating a valuable return from day one. 

Adopting a proactive approach

To mitigate the risks of ‘cut and run’ hiring, organisations must adopt a proactive approach that bridges the gap between recruitment and deployment. By engaging candidates through targeted training during the waiting period, employers can not only keep them engaged but also enhance their skills and in turn provide a solution to the skills shortage. 

By thinking strategically about recruitment, onboarding and development, organisations can overcome the challenges of a tight job market, reduce the risk of ‘cut and run’ scenarios, build a more resilient workforce and ensure the UK remains competitive. 

Dr Andrea Cullen is CEO and Co-Founder of CAPSLOCK

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com and skynesher