Staff investment is essential to Waterfront’s success

PEOPLE AND SKILLS: Focus on talent

Dundee, the city of major transformation, has people at the backbone of inward investment and what this means to the local economy and its people.

Investment into the city has taken various guises, from the imposing V&A museum to a digital infrastructure and new hotels coming into the region – notwithstanding the attraction of new businesses such as decommissioning coming in to further boost employment levels; all of which aid the local economy both from a cultural and economic perspective.

Employers should be including people within their organisations’ “economic assets” as, for the Waterfront plans to be successful, investment in people is essential. This is where the war for talent becomes critical as Dundee continues its fast development and bringing new businesses to the area.

Hiring sufficient talent is often difficult for employers, but it becomes particularly challenging when a company is experiencing unprecedented growth. The requirement to hire and onboard quickly without sacrificing quality becomes all-consuming and critical. It is even more important to find the right people during times of rapid growth to prevent expensive decision making and stalling plans.

Every organisation deals with the realities of expansion, not only in their core business activities, but also searching for and managing talent. With the current skills crisis, sourcing talent is becoming more difficult day by day and Dundee is no exception to this.

The growth of Dundee over the next few years is much closer to home than we think. As momentum grows and the local economy continues to strengthen, employers will find it very difficult sourcing and managing the talent they need.

A workforce with the right skills, attitudes and behaviours is critical to job retention, productivity and growth. Employers should be growing their own workforce, up-skilling, developing and managing their people to provide the skills and talent needed for the future.

But for instances where honing existing talent isn’t possible, sourcing new employees goes way beyond asking the right interview question.

Finding top performers for both today and the future requires an indepth assessment of each person who comes to you and understanding exactly what you, the employer needs. It’s not about hiring about the now but also for the future.

Here are five tips to help employers with recruitment: 1. The accurate job specification Don’t devise generic job specifications – instead, ensure that each one is relevant to your business needs and specific to the role you are looking to fill. 2. The person specification There are a number of key areas you may need to consider such as which basic skills you require. Don’t forget to include the softer skills and consider the right attributes for your organisation focussing on skillset, adaptability, potential, attitude and aptitude. 3. What is essential and desirable criteria Be realistic - it is unlikely you will find the candidate who ticks every box, so stay within the specifications and identify which skills are absolutely essential and which ones can be developed over time. 4. Consider outsourcing You may wish to outsource your recruitment requirements to an external party who understands the current market and can target the right people on your behalf. 5. The interview Follow a standard process that is fair and consistent every time. Don’t rely on one interview. Consider using additional methodologies – telephone screening, psychometric profiling, testing or presentation delivery appropriate to the job.

For the Waterfront plans to be successful, investment in people is essential