In today’s competitive labour market, employers are likely to find themselves under the scrutiny of potential employees as jobseekers start to set the recruitment agenda.

According to last month’s survey, 79.9% of Rewards members were in favour of candidates checking the references of their prospective managers before accepting a new job.

Canvassing independent opinion from a range of sources is a tried and tested technique for minimising recruitment risk. Managers may, however, find it confronting to justify their own credentials when they are the ones doing the hiring.

There is no doubt that the onus today is as much on the company to sell itself as it is on the candidates to win the job with 65 per cent of those surveyed saying they would investigate workplace conditions and culture before taking a job.

A research paper released in May focused on talent shortages in Australia. It demonstrated that both SME and large companies were grappling with a host of barriers to finding good staff. These ranged from a lack of technical skills available in the market, to overseas competition, staff loyalty and retention, and generational change.

It revealed the battle for the ‘first interview’ was often the most crucial battle to win. An organisation’s brand and reputation were influential in attracting people and this was particularly beneficial for many larger companies. Smaller companies, with less brand recognition and resource, needed to better communicate their culture, philosophy and vision to potential candidates face-to-face.

One of the keys to retaining staff was the business’s ability to offer work-life balance. People wanted to be challenged but were wary of becoming burnt out. The struggle was to find the right balance to keep staff interested while respecting lifestyle choices.

When considering the problem of skills shortages it was important to also consider the changing world within which we live and the shift in what motivates human beings.

As employers come to terms with a new world of recruiting, companies may be enticing job seekers with vague job descriptions. Our survey asked if job descriptions were offered with roles, and 44% said they did not receive a job description. Another 48 % of those surveyed admitted that they felt the reality of their role was different from that offered at interview.

In the long run, employers looking to attract and retain high calibre people will benefit from the efforts they make to understand candidates and what motivates them personally.