83% of Hong Kong talent is interested in speaking to a recruiter or headhunter—even though 76% are actually happy staying where they are. It comes as part of the findings from LinkedIn’s annual Talent Trends 2015 Report, which surveyed 20,000 professionals in 29 countries in order to ‘delve’ into the minds of talent at every stage of the job search journey.
The contradictory results showed that while those who are open to talking to recruiters was 5% higher than the global average, it is still a challenge to get Hong Kong talent to move around different firms. Eric Yee, Head of Talent Solutions—Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, LinkedIn puts this down to image, “Since most professionals in Hong Kong are less likely to proactively look for new job opportunities, your employer brand is essential to catching talent’s attention.”
According to the report, this brand must extend through word-of-mouth, which is still an important channel that 50% of talent finds opportunity from. Though in addition, it highlighted the importance of investment in online job boards as well as social professional networks, such as LinkedIn as means to catch attention.
Investment in attracting talent does not just end there: some good-old human touch is also required to seal a deal with 94% of talent saying that hearing from their potential boss can make them accept the offer and get to work faster. It suggests that gestures such as making phone calls to candidates to give good news and ensuring they have a positive experience in interviews can have significant impact for company image.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
