7 actions to take to (re)become attractive to consultants
January 2, 2023
.webp){kind=small}
5 min
devenir%20attractifs%20aupre%CC%80s%20des%20consultants.png)
According to a study published by France Stratégie in 2022, the number of job offers abandoned due to a lack of candidates has risen from 4.9% in 2018 to 6% in 2022 - that is, more than "150,000 very difficult" unfulfilled recruitments. Since the health crisis hit, the way we work and think about work has shaken up companies. The consulting and recruitment sector is well aware of this: it is becoming more and more difficult to find the rare pearl. Well-being and wellness are an integral part of the concerns of the new (and old!) generation of employees.
Consulting and recruitment firms no longer have a choice. They have to be more attractive than the competition to find the right profile. Napta takes stock in this article, with 7 actions you can take to become attractive to your consultants again.
The first step is to put yourself in the candidate's shoes. Why would he or she come to your company, rather than the competitor's? You can't leave it to chance: you have to create it!
There is no shortage of ideas: creating a corporate video online, original publication on networks to get people talking about you...
Our advice to avoid déjà vu: bring something concrete to the table rather than proposing a classic job description. For example, by filming the candidate's future colleague, who presents his daily missions. Don't neglect the "digital feeling", which allows the candidate to project himself or herself to the person or, on the contrary, to have no chemistry...
The recruitment site Welcome To The Jungle has understood this, with the video publication of the company's representatives. Major players such as KPMG, Grant Thornton, Accenture and EY use this recruitment site to showcase their corporate culture.
Once the human contact is initiated, the consultant wants to focus on the details and consults the job description. This one should not be neglected either, by detailing as much information as possible on the missions, the process of assignment, the qualities and the expected competences, the duration of the position, its localization, the estimated salary... As well as letting glimpse the possible career evolution and training plan .
Remember: a well-crafted job description maximizes the number of relevant applications. What's more, such care in recruiting is a first positive point that seduces the consultant even before having met a recruiter.
One last piece of advice for your digital recruitment presentation, or during the interview: make people want to work. The world of work has changed, and so have its conditions. New life, new rules!
You need to create an environment that is equipped and adapted to motivate your teams. You can have beautiful offices in the Parisian boulevards, with rest rooms planted with green plants, but this is only the first step to create the famous click.
Telecommuting is part of the new working conditions of the 21st century. It is relevant to anticipate its resource needs in this respect. In particular, it is necessary to equip it so that work does not cut into personal life: take into account the needs and wishes of teams in the process of assignment by making them actors of the process.
The goal? To give meaning to work by integrating the wishes of its employees in the decisions of assignment. In this way, they work on missions that have meaning: they are involved, happy and grateful to the company for such an adventure.
The first card to play, to attract a consultant, is the transparency during the first exchange. It would be a pity that the consultant is disappointed of his first days of work! To show transparency on the terms of the mission, the expectations of the work to be provided... It is to recruit a motivated person and perfectly informed of the advantages and constraints of the position to be filled.
As a reminder, a recruitment that ends with the departure of the employee after a few days can cause a company to lose several thousands of euros to a company - between 5 and 8,000 according to the website recruitee. Recruiting with transparency and honesty avoids wasting time on recruiting indefinitely for the same position.
During the job interview, it is important to talk about the candidate's aspirations and interests. How do they see themselves in the future of the company? What are their ambitions? How does he/she want it to be? We must go beyond the simple listing of hard and soft skills. What's more, by focusing on his or her wishes for development, the consultant feels more listened to in the company. This means less frustration and therefore, potentially, less turnover .
For example, recruiters can discuss with the candidate the internal mobility planin order to present concrete career plans. 🥸
Training is an opportunity to ensure talent retention. Indeed, by setting up an internal company training plan , you meet the obligations of employers, but also the demands of consultants. A win-win process ✨ since your consultants remain at the top of their skills and you can staff them on increasingly complex missions.
Our advice: why not offer to train new employees train new employees by the old ones? In this way, you can give new and exciting assignments to the old ones and the useful skills are passed on to the to new employees. In case of departure, you don't lose the know-how!
If the employee likes the position and the missions, he/she should not be left in his/her comfort zone for too long. Have you heard of bore-out? This symptom occurs when a person is bored, has repetitive tasks, is challenged or has uninteresting tasks.
By listening to the employee's wishes for evolution and at the same time setting up a training plan for career management, the employee evolves within the company. The result? Well-being at work , with a low turnover rate and committed employees.
Is an employee leaving the company for new adventures? Remember, leaving doesn't mean they may not come back one day. So, without breaking out the champagne, why not make this experience enjoyable?
Helping them to highlight their skills, putting their needs, desires and aspirations into words... There is no shortage of ideas for taking care of off-boarding and accompanying them towards their next adventure. Some consulting firms have also set up a dedicated training program (like the company Mazars ) . The idea? To create a tailor-made program that allows each person to express their expectations, desires and wishes for the future. In return, the employee is coached, advised and redirected if necessary.
The bottom line on off-boarding? You need to make people feel that any departure is positive and that their potential return would not necessarily mean a trip on the Titanic 🛳️
Transparency could be the Ariadne's thread of these 7 actions to take. By placing transparency at the heart of its principles before, during and after the missions carried out by each employee, you limit the risks (turnover, burn-out, bore-out, etc.).
Transparency means giving full trust to others - and they give it back! Don't forget that employees are the mirror of the company. You need to align yourself with what you expect from them: honesty, productivity and authenticity.
So that your company's image lives up to your expectations, you know what you have to do 😉
Would you like to find out more? We've got plenty of resources to help you go further.
To complement this topic, take a look at our guide "6 tips to make your consultants attractive again".
See also our guides, templates and checklists in the Resources tab.
See you soon at Napta!
.png)
