"If, in the courtship between candidate and company, salary and technical skills are assumed, what can make the difference when hiring is the benefits."
Did you know that - in a universe that includes more than two hundred of the best employers in Portugal - for a third of these, candidates do not already need to speak Portuguese? And that, for almost 100 percent of these companies, English assumes itself as a mandatory language? This reality shows that we live in a global village and that, more than nationality, companies today are looking for the perfect profile for the vacancy (which is expected to be perfect, too).
With the opening of borders in recruitment, a new world of candidates naturally opens up. But, are foreign candidates - who are also increasingly looking for professional experiences outside their countries of origin - aware of these opportunities? Are employers (if) communicating effectively? More than that, are they knowing how to position themselves in the so-called “war of talent”?
The truth is that organizations today face a number of additional challenges. If, just a few years ago, remuneration and career progression were the aspects most valued by candidates, now, in this “war for talent”, it is necessary to take into account other factors capable of attracting the best candidates. The possibility of working from home, the provision of a gym within the company, the day off on birthdays or the provision of public transport are just some of the aspects valued (and sought after) by an increasing number of candidates.
It is a case to say that, in the courtship between candidate and company, salary and technical skills are assumed, what can make the difference at the time of effective hiring are the benefits. At this point, it is important to note that, in Portugal, the website TalentPortugal.com assumes itself as the only platform for employers that allows candidates to search, not only by type of company, but also for the benefits offered to employees.
All these “add-ons” are part of a growing trend in Human Resources: employer branding, that is, the employer's value proposition. It is, therefore, time for recruitment and marketing professionals to reflect on this issue and study how to attract and retain talent.
It is time to understand where to find candidates in areas where there is a shortage of talent and, for example, to analyze whether foreigners could also be an additional source of human resources. It is also crucial to find out how to respond to the most sought-after skills and how companies should interact with universities, polytechnics, and foreign student associations and associations.
We can say that the employer Branding is increasingly seen as a new discipline that has the ability to unite Human Resources and Marketing.
It is exactly at this point that the Talent Portugal – as a talent attraction community and a meeting point for candidates, companies and institutions – has been playing an important role, whether in segmenting the offer of these employers, in systematizing the benefits that organizations offer or in publicizing existing job fairs from north to south of the country. Moreover, in promoting the employer Branding, a tendency that companies cannot remain indifferent because, in this “talent war”, it is necessary to know how to attract and, even more, how to retain a company's biggest and most important resource: people.
