To develop in a very competitive environment, companies must absolutely acquire skills that are directly linked to their performance objectives. Who better than ESNs can support them in this search for skills?
In the competition between different companies in the same sector, competence plays a key role: that of differentiation. It is indeed fundamental for business performance. Exploiting this field means knowing how to analyze a skill need, find it but also understand its full potential. For this, companies have the possibility of calling on service companies. Their role is to ensure needs analysis, sourcing and, sometimes, profile training. Laurent Vandewalle, expert in agility and project management, director of CROSSTHINK, tells us about the expertise of ESNs in the search for skills.
ESNs: role and asset for businesses
ESNs (digital service companies) are service companies. They support companies in developing their digital power. Previously called SSII, they were renamed ESN by Syntec in 2013. They generally operate in areas of information systems, IT infrastructures, digital technologies and consulting, audit and management services.
In these very competitive environments, ESNs are real assets for companies, thanks to:
- A range of resources available. It meets a large scale of needs both in terms of skills and availability. It also makes it possible to propose support plans covering all or part of the stages of a project.
- Field expertise that makes the difference. Thanks to talents who master the real needs of companies, constant monitoring of technological advances and news in the fields (skills, tools, certifications, etc.) but also effective sourcing, ESNs have the weapons to respond effectively to market needs.
Search for skills: recruitment expertise by ESNs
Technological tools considerably speed up job search and recruitment procedures, always offering more opportunities. This is therefore a real challenge for ESNs. Indeed, they seek to constantly feed their talent pool and must also respond quickly to the needs of businesses. The latter respond to new market challenges and adopt new professions, new tools, etc. They must therefore integrate the skills relating to these developments.
Sourcing and new technologies
Either the ESNs have the relevant profiles, or they must “hunt” for them. In both cases, they rely on their sales teams who know the needs of companies to carry out constant and proactive sourcing.
Digital tools (crowdsourcing, mobile applications, websites, recruiting robot, blockchain, etc.) as well as networks are essential weapons in the recruitment process. Also, passive or pro-active, ESNs create their talent pool by different means:
- the selection of CVs received;
- sourcing and monitoring via social networks, notably LinkedIn;
- the network of engineering schools which makes it possible to approach outgoing profiles, less expensive and with “fresh” skills.
Talent retention
In this role of intermediary between talents and companies, ESNs must place emphasis on talent loyalty. To meet the needs of businesses, ESNs are looking for mobile profiles, that is to say profiles more likely to be poached. They must therefore convince and retain these talents in order to always have value themselves to businesses. How ? By aligning with the values sought by candidates. The latter are oriented more towards notions of kindness and organizational comfort (teleworking, QVT approach, etc.) and career planning (improvement in skills, training, remuneration, etc.). ESNs must offer unbeatable benefits to the talents they recruit.
Emphasis on soft skills that appeal
It’s clear: competence is necessary to position yourself. But it is essential for ESNs to move beyond professional standards and master the soft skills sought by companies (flexibility, creativity, sense of organization, communication, sense of community, etc.). Thanks to their structure as well as the plurality of profiles and experiences that make them up, ESNs have an ideal position to create a synergy favoring the development of these soft skills. They can in particular activate working groups or set up mentoring to encourage these “little extras” which appeal to businesses.
Competence as a value: making the difference
Despite a base of varied profiles, ESNs nevertheless remain confronted with the harsh law of supply and demand. By evolving in sectors that are developing rapidly, it is about finding talent who not only corresponds to the values of the client company but who also allows them to distinguish themselves from competing ESNs.
This is why ESNs, matching the needs of a company to a market reality, seek certifications first and foremost. Because they are the ones who attest to a level of skill, thus matching profiles to the grids used for recruitment.
An essential educational approach
Guarantors of the quality of recruitment, ESNs ensure, through an educational approach, that the candidate has the jargon necessary for their development in the company (credibility, convincing argument, etc.), masters the required skill by knowing how to reproduce it, has the skills essential to today's business, such as agility. Besides the certification, it's good the relevant argument built thanks to the appropriation of “business” vocabulary which will convince companies.
But the educational approach would not be complete if it was not based on training. To keep talents anchored in market realities, ESNs promote training. This is about certifying their talents in their development of skills throughout their careers.
How to sell a skill?
Like businesses, mobility and flexibility are often important values for young people. ESNs, in addition to claiming these values as a competitive advantage, must therefore know how to make a difference to sell their skills. This involves three fundamental commercial axes for them.
- Guarantee the quality of profiles thanks to educational programs providing training and certification of talents.
- Claim field experience using feedback from experienced profiles and their constant monitoring of business needs.
- Propose a competitive commercial offer which is deployed on two axes: aggressive prices and high availability with companies.
