Recruitment and selection: do you opt for diplomas or competencies?

Finally, often after years of struggling, the time has come. You can receive your diploma. Who doesn't remember that wonderful feeling? That idea that the world is at your feet, and you can finally show what you've learned to a keen employer.

With the current labor market, employers are indeed keen. After all, there are more vacancies than job seekers. But a smart recruiter watches during the recruitment and selection further than his nose is long. Does not set selection criteria that only focus on “completed courses”. No, someone's personality, talents and interests are also considered. This not only increases the target group of the vacancy. Such a different look at a resume also ensures that an employee will soon walk in that will make everyone happy, according to scientific research.

Just check. Would you prefer to see a happy starter or side entrant as a colleague, who eager eager to learn new things? Or do you want a colleague who is a bit complacent about a 20-year-old diploma that is now dusting up in the attic, just like knowledge that has never been refreshed? And if you already have a team of “red” types who crowd each other out to speak and get promoted, more of the same is the last thing you need. The department only comes into balance when a different, calmer personality is contrasted with other competencies.

It really pays off during the application process taking the trouble to look beyond what diploma someone has in their pocket. In the workplace, it's about what someone really can and does in daily practice. What talent does he or she have? What is the work ethic? And what personality does that new colleague bring? These are the things that really matter.

When a diploma is no longer sacred, how do you focus it? recruitment & selection process in? And how do you then maintain the right level of knowledge in your organisation?

Here, 3 recruitment and selection tips from our side!

Tip 1. Competence-based recruitment and selection

In fact, in most sectors, skills are very important. By focusing less on completed papers and becoming more competence-oriented yards you have a better chance that your new employee actually meets your needs.

Ask while selection interview once again on talents. What is the applicant really excited about? What are the motives, the passions? They are just as important because doing what you enjoy generates flow. You become enthusiastic, productive, and you want to develop further. All of this often leads to job satisfaction.

An applicant with the right flow is the best employee you can get. No diploma can compete with that.

Don't stick to the obligate job interview alone. An assessment can provide so much more information about personal motives, talent and competences. Fortunately, you don't necessarily have to go to an expensive psychological counseling firm today. There are countless good ones and fast ones online tests on the market, which you can completely tailor to your organisation.

Tip 2. Learning and development after the application process

Is this now a plea to shred all diplomas and jettison education at the staff recruitment? No, definitely not! Especially in a world where developments go faster than light, it is important to always keep knowledge up to date. If you let the knowledge in the organisation explode, the smarter competitors will hop past you with a snicker.

Therefore, encourage your employees to keep up and to constantly gain new knowledge. This does not have to be done with long, energy-consuming training programs. Sitting at school desks for hours, receiving a diploma and then taking in nothing is out of date.

Fortunately, things can also be done differently. Target an attractive online learning environment in full of short knowledge snacks, interesting images of the workplace, links to trends and developments in your industry.

Make a varied mix of e-learning, live training and flipped classrooms. Give your employees a free hand in their choice as much as possible. Feel free to let them graze in a meadow full of floral information.

Curious about more tips about how to motivate your employees? Then continue reading here.

Tip 3. Collegiate knowledge sharing

Industry-specific knowledge or targeted tips and tricks that suit your organisation are usually not taught in school. You learn them by doing it or experiencing it in practice. That is why you should focus on peer knowledge sharing. In this way, you anchor existing knowledge in your company and promote mutual cooperation.

In fact, collegial knowledge sharing is always interesting:

• At the onboarding: link a buddy to the starting employee, who can lead the way in the organisation, but also serves as a trusted source of information.
• During employment: let colleagues from different departments regularly exchange experiences. This increases mutual understanding and encourages cooperation. Don't make this too formal: a lunch and learn session, where everyone can sit down to listen to a colleague take the stage, works great, for example. But a multidisciplinary online chat room where employees can find each other with professional questions is also a good idea.
• In case of imminent departure: most departing colleagues have important knowledge. Make sure that valuable information does not leave the building at the same time as the employee. By consciously creating time and space for transfer, you retain the knowledge in the company. It can be a good idea to design an online format where departing colleagues can store their information safely and conveniently according to a fixed pattern.

Read much more about this knowledge sharing in organisations!

Vacancy preparation example

To make this story a whole, we give a example of a vacancy text, which may apply to you. This gives you some concrete tools to get started. Here we go!

“You have a growth mindset and the will to learn. There's no shortage of motivation!”

“You are entrepreneurial and you get to work proactively. You don't wait for someone to ask you.”

“You have a tendency to take the lead and don't mind being ultimately responsible.”

“You have a curious mind and are always curious about the 'why' behind the story.”

Or, on the contrary:

“You have a calm personality, are humble and analyse from a distance. At the right time, you know how to take over the conversation.”

Need more tips about recruitment and selection?

Then you're in the right place with us. We know a lot about the countless online opportunities to share knowledge, develop competencies and discover talents, which you can then turn into the perfect vacancy texts and selection criteria. Therefore, feel free to contact join us!