Are you being asked stupid questions at interview?
There is a skills gap in South Africa: this is a fact so often quoted that it has become a truism. The reasons are taken to be poor education, the woeful legacy of apartheid, and the massive emigration which has led to the so-called 'brain drain'.
But instead of repeating the obvious and blaming a situation outside their control, employers should take a closer look at their own modus operandi and ability to spot and retain talent.
A new study by AIMS International South Africa, a global headhunting organisation, swims against the tide in arguing that the problem of skills shortages is exacerbated by inefficient hiring practices.
"South Africa is presented with a real challenge in understanding what employers are doing wrong when it comes to attracting and retaining talent," says Leonie Pentz, director of AIMS International SA.
The list of reasons includes a lack of commitment from employers to succession planning and therefore insufficient development prospects for senior management, rigid and often old-fashioned HR policies, lack of understanding of more complex roles and too little time and attention devoted to the hiring process.
"Often vital talent attraction functions are piled onto the shoulders of inexperienced HR officers and insufficiently trained people conduct high-level interviews," says Pentz. Decision-makers need to be more involved in recruiting, which needs to be "talent-driven rather than process-driven."
Many South African executives, for example, are working abroad not out of choice but "because of the ineffective hiring decisions they experienced here at home," says Pentz.
"A senior executive disclosed to us in an email recently that he was interviewed for a high level financial role in South Africa and the recruiter interviewing him was asking him about basic accounting principles. Clearly the person was inexperienced recruiting at this level as he should have been testing leadership competencies instead. This is just one example of how ineffective hiring processes can influence an executive candidate's decisions. Employers must understand that headhunted candidates for opportunities in Africa all have other offers in the pipeline, they really do, especially top finance, risk and compliance candidates."
Now is the time to face the problems and deal with the inefficiencies because the international crisis is making South Africa more attractive as an employment destination.
It is a chance the country cannot afford to miss, says Martine Schaffer, managing director of Homecoming Revolution, a non-profit organisation aimed at reversing the skills shortage in South Africa: "There is definitely going to be an increase in the in-flow and a decrease in the out-flow of talent, as it is not as easy to work internationally. This presents an opportunity to South Africa to retain talent and it is very important how corporates present themselves."
