Recruiting candidates involves being receptive to new trends every year based on the innovations, developments in the workforce, and renewed focus on workplace values. Now, in the midst of this pandemic-fighting world, recruiters are called on to adapt to these trends to be competitive in attracting the right candidates. ASW Consulting, a recruitment agency in Vietnam, lists down five important recruitment strategies that should guide your talent sourcing initiatives in 2021.

Virtual recruitment

The majority of the workforce in many countries has been working from home for more than a year, and this has proven that the work-from-home model is a viable option and is here to stay for countless people. The same goes for recruitment, which can be done entirely virtually to save on costs and time, effectively optimising the hiring process for many talent sourcing agencies in Vietnam.

Although hiring for entry-level and junior posts may be completed online from interview to job offer, you may want to consider mixing in-person interviews when sourcing senior-level or C-suite candidates. These positions are more complex and hiring managers usually prefer to talk to these candidates more freely in a face-to-face arrangement to better gauge their performance, potential and fit to the whole company. When this is not possible, due to COVID-19 or travel restrictions, it’s advisable to use a variety of approaches when making candidate selection decisions, including case studies, presentations, skills and psychometric assessments.

Recruiting online may sometimes be uncomfortable for candidates, and can seem robotic for recruiters, so it’s important to always imbue your friendly attitude into these interactions. Read some of our tips on how to conduct virtual interviews.

Develop your Employer Value Proposition

Your EVP will be crucial in recruiting because candidates are looking for more than just job opportunities – they’re looking for companies that have strong values and show a commitment to things outside of making money for shareholders, such as supporting community groups, or putting a voice to key social issues. Remember that your EVP is not just the compensation and benefits package. It’s your pledge to provide a positive and enjoyable working environment, work-life balance and career plan to all of your employees. Your EVP is how you articulate your values and how you put people first before business.

The EVP could also be seen in your partnerships, your corporate social responsibility, and how you assist your employees. It’s employee welfare and advocacy in action, showing how you are accountable, transparent and trustworthy within your community.

Think about engaging your external recruitment agency in discussions about your EVP. Recruiters of talent sourcing companies in Vietnam can act as ambassadors for your EVP. This helps extend your brand and value proposition into the wider market.

Employee referral program

Beyond your usual job boards and social networks, complement your talent pool by asking your current employees for their referrals for new vacancies. This is an effective recruitment strategy because it shortens the process through staff’s testimonials of their referrals. They also know how their colleagues can make an impact in the role. This helps you match candidates to roles better, have higher retention through role and team compatibility, and reduce recruitment costs as well.

Make sure to have a good referral program in place in your company’s intranet to simplify the process. The program should have clear policies and incentives, accurate job descriptions, and should integrate well with your applicant tracking system so you can have all the data you need right at your fingertips.

Hire for aptitude

Of course, skills and experience bear a heavy weight on selecting the right candidates for the job, but it’s equally important to pay attention to their aptitude as well. Competency isn’t just measured by what they have done, but also what they are capable of in the future. It’s for this reason that we recommend looking at candidates who have good adaptability and an agile approach to work. Look for candidates who welcome new responsibilities and are flexible towards the changing demands in a role.

Often that ‘perfect’ candidate will simply not exist! Stop trying to tick every box and select candidates who are smart, and driven to learn and experience new aspects of the job. For what they lack in experience, they are likely to make up for in commitment to learn and contribute to the team. Research from Google said that specific skills in science, technology, mathematics and engineering ranked low in what made their employees successful. What was more important were aptitude-related skills: problem-solving, understanding diverse perspectives, critical thinking, and communicating ideas.

Further recruitment learning

As recruiting has continually changed in the past year, whether it’s a slowdown or spike in hiring, or realigning requirements according to new client priorities, recruiters and recruitment agencies in Ho Chi Minh need to adapt to the changes even more moving forward. Always keep an eye out for new trends and strategies around attracting and retaining talent, and familiarize yourself with tools designed for efficiency. Attend webinars, read books, and follow blogs from industry experts, and apply what you learn from these different resources. Your learning will empower you to make data-driven decisions, help articulate client branding, and improve the recruitment process in the long run.

Recruitment agency in Ho Chi Minh

ASW Consulting is a trusted talent sourcing and recruitment agency in Ho Chi Minh that brings talented people together. Apart from finding our clients the best possible candidates, we also help candidates improve their knowledge and understanding of the market, so they can succeed in C-suite recruitment in Vietnam. Check out our Resources page for industry insights and refresher materials for recruiting today.