the bottom line . Personally , I always have valuable insights from HR on my decision table .
With the increasing competition for the best employees globally , HR ’ s need to compete for talent the way Marketers compete for customers ! This could mean developing a human-oriented online recruitment process , building employees ’ brands to help them amplify key messages , engaging with touchpoints more strategically e . g . website career pages , social media job ads , etc . and perhaps making use of contextual advertising . All in all , I think in the new digital age , HR and Marketing will need be more seamlessly connected and speak as one unified voice .
Throughout your career , you ’ ve been actively engaged in both Marketing and HR . What is the relationship between the two functions towards building effective and efficient recruitment processes ?
HR has been the most important stakeholder in building our business . Our success can be largely attributed to our in depth understanding of HR pain points and building relationships with HR professionals that help us develop solutions targeted to alleviate real recruiting problems . We engage them through various channels such as focus groups , partnership initiatives and industry events . Our HR partners are the first to test our new products and with their valued feedback , we iterate until we have a final go-to-market product .
Disrupt Or Be Disrupted
Outside of business as usual , people now recognise that brands have an opportunity to make a bigger , more positive impact in a Covid-19 world . How can employers , and job seekers stand out post- Covid ?
BrighterMonday , throughout its 15 operational years , has established a strong network of over 40,000 employers in various sectors and industries and supported over 1.2 million jobseekers through their professional journey .
When we speak to jobseekers , four things stand out about the most-preferred brands they would like to work for : A positive , appealing employee-centred work culture - professionals will increasingly look to join organisations embracing remoteworking , flexible working hours with progressive health programs including mental health ; Open communication channels with strong , relatable business goals - people want organisations that give off a sense of pride by establishing great reward and recognition culture , care for the community , sustainability initiatives , etc ; Diversity and inclusivity culture - equal opportunity employers , fair staff policies , gender and race equality , etc .; and Growth culture where the employer has training and career development initiatives .
To attract the right people , our platform helps organisations tell their brand stories . We also run the BrighterMonday 100 Best companies to work for segment , which provides a standard from which businesses can benchmark to improve their corporate culture positioning . Our team helps professionals create powerful digital profiles using key words . This boosts profile visibility and
Sharon Karanja
increases the chances of the jobseeker being shortlisted for an interview . We also provide valuable insights to both employers and job seekers on the changing business environment to help them up-skill and re-skill to remain relevant .
Beyond Covid-19 , what are the challenges you foresee businesses experiencing in managing their human resources . Can you offer some free advice to businesses as they transition into the new norm ?
The two challenges I foresee are : First , the Rise in skill gaps : Through continuous , structured training and development programs to up-skill staff , preparing them for cross functional roles and responsibilities , businesses can be better prepared for the future of the workplace . HR can also consider interdepartment training , job shadowing as well as global recruitment to supplement or train their workforce ;
Second is SMART hiring will become more difficult with strategic uncertainty . To manage this , businesses can leverage on technology , going above and beyond the contents of a CV , to make hiring decisions . This can be achieved simply through evaluating applicants for both soft , futuristic and hard skills - using big data where there is a large pool of applicants .
The industry requires more innovation around manpower management to ensure people feel motivated and empowered whilst working remotely . This is the new norm and we must find ways of leveraging technology to support productive and efficient remote working .
Finally , I think businesses can make SMART decisions by paying more attention to research and data analysis . At BrighterMonday we provide regular , updated market research to help businesses better understand the needs of jobseekers , and vice versa , helping all parties navigate the demands of the evolving workplace .
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