HR GETS A CREATIVE MAKE-OVER AS EMPLOYERS UP THEIR GAME IN WAR ON TALENT

Creative and digital media specialists are fast-becoming some of the most sought-after workers for human resources departments throughout Wales as employers struggle to keep up with the pace of technological advancements that are rapidly changing the way they attract and retain staff irrevocably, according to a leading recruitment specialist. 

Paul MacKenzie-Cummins, one of the UK’s leading employment and careers experts and director of Newport-based MacKenzie-Cummins Communications – Wales’s only and the UK’s second biggest PR firm specialising in the recruitment industry, has found that there is a significant lack of creative and digital talent available to help HR departments meet the challenges of recruitment in the increasingly tech-driven era.

 

“Given the speed at which technology is advancing and the increasing influence that digital media and social media sites such as LinkedIn and Twitter are having on every aspect of the recruitment process, demand for experienced personnel with the skills needed by HR departments to keep the pace is at an all-time high,” said Paul MacKenzie-Cummins. 

“New roles such as mobile app developers, digital media specialists, technical lead developers and mobile recruitment developers are just some of the vacancies that are proving a challenge not only to recruit but also to reference effectively, given the relative newness of these technologies,” he added.

Mark Powney, managing director of Cardiff-based ECOM Digital and former head of digital recruitment at Golley Slater advertising agency, agrees: “The media landscape has become increasingly fragmented in recent years and gone are the days when an employer simply placed a job advert in the local newspaper. The current generation of job seekers are tech-savvy and recruiters who reach out and engage with their target audience will attract – and retain – the best talent for their organisation.

“Over the last six months alone we have seen a surge in demand from both employers and recruitment consultancy owners alike who need help in delivering recruitment programmes across a multitude of platforms,” he said. 

The impact that social and digital media has had on recruitment cannot be underestimated. LinkedIn, for instance, has been the most popular website for job seekers since March 2010 with almost 1 in 10 of all UK job seekers using this as their preferred source for vacancies. While Twitter has jumped from relative obscurity in 2008 to become the third most used social network after Facebook and YouTube, with more than 3.7 million visitors in the UK every month. 

“Social media has already proven it is more than just a fad. And with more recent developments such as mobile applications for recruitment, video interviewing and virtual recruitment fairs becoming increasingly central to the whole recruitment process, employers are looking for candidates who effectively ‘have it all’ and are well-grounded in all things digital,” said Paul MacKenzie-Cummins. 

“Web 2.0 is developing all the time and employers who readily embrace these new technologies will not only significantly reduce their recruitment costs but will soon reap the business benefits to be gained.”