To grow in a highly competitive environment, companies absolutely must acquire skills that are directly linked to their performance objectives. Who better than NSEs to support them in this search for skills?
In the competition between different companies in the same sector, skills play a key role: differentiation. It is fundamental to business performance. Exploiting this field means knowing how to analyse a need for skills, how to find them, but also how to grasp their full potential. To do this, companies can call on service companies. Their role is to analyse needs, source and, in some cases, train profiles. Laurent Vandewalle, an expert in agility and project management and head of CROSSTHINK, talks to us about the expertise of NSEs in skills sourcing.
NSEs: a role and an asset for companies
Digital service companies (ESN) are service companies. They support companies in developing their digital power. Previously known as SSII, they were renamed ESN by Syntec in 2013. They generally operate in information systems, IT infrastructure, digital technologies and consulting, audit and management services.
In these highly competitive environments, NSEs are real assets for companies, thanks to :
- A range of resources available. It meets a wide range of needs in terms of skills and availability. It can also be used to propose support plans covering all or part of the stages of a project.
- Expertise in the field that makes all the difference. Thanks to talent that understands the real needs of businesses, constant monitoring of technological advances and current events in the field (skills, tools, certifications, etc.) and effective sourcing, ESNs have the weapons they need to respond effectively to the needs of the market.
Searching for skills: ESN recruitment expertise
Technological tools are considerably speeding up job searches and recruitment procedures, offering ever more opportunities. This is a real challenge for ESNs. This is because, they are constantly looking to add to their talent pool and must also respond quickly to business needs. These companies are responding to new market challenges and are adopting new professions, new tools, etc. They must therefore integrate the skills required for these changes.
Sourcing and new technologies
Either ESNs have the relevant profiles or they have to 'hunt' for them. In both cases, they rely on their sales teams, who know what companies need, to carry out constant, proactive sourcing.
Digital tools (crowdsourcing, mobile applications, websites, recruitment robots, blockchain, etc.) and networks are essential weapons in the recruitment process. Whether passive or pro-active, NSEs are creating their talent pool in a variety of ways:
- selection of CVs received ;
- sourcing and monitoring via social networks, in particular LinkedIn;
- the network of engineering schools, which enables us to approach outgoing profiles who are less expensive and have 'fresh' skills.
Retaining talent
In their role as intermediaries between talent and companies, NSEs need to focus on retaining talent. To meet companies' needs, NSEs are looking for mobile profiles, i.e. profiles that are more likely to be poached. They must therefore convincing and retaining these talents so that they themselves continue to add value with companies. How can we do this? By aligning with the values sought by candidates. The latter are moving more towards the notions of benevolence and organisational comfort (teleworking, QWL approach, etc.) and career planning (skills development, training, remuneration, etc.). NSEs need to offer unbeatable benefits to the talent they recruit.
Emphasis on attractive soft skills
It's a given: skills are necessary to position yourself. However, it is essential for NSEs to move beyond job-specific references and master the soft skills that companies are looking for (flexibility, creativity, organisational skills, communication, team spirit, etc.). Thanks to their structure and the wide range of profiles and experience they bring to the table, ESNs are ideally placed to create a synergy that encourages the development of these soft skills. In particular, they can activate working groups or set up mentoring to encourage these 'little extras' that companies are looking for.
Competence as a value: making a difference
Despite a varied profile base, ESNs are still faced with the hard law of supply and demand. Operating in fast-growing sectors, the challenge is to find talent that not only matches the values of the client company, but also sets them apart from competing ESNs.
That's why ESNs match a company's needs with market realities, seek certifications first and foremost. For it is they that attest to a level of skill, matching profiles to the grids that are so important to recruitment.
An essential educational approach
As guarantors of the quality of recruitment, ESNs use an educational approach to ensure that candidates have the jargon they need to progress within the company (credibility, convincing arguments, etc.), that they have mastered the skills required and know how to reproduce them, and that they have the interpersonal skills, such as agility, that are essential in today's business world. In addition to certification, it's a good thing that the relevant arguments built up through the appropriation of "business" vocabulary that will convince companies.
But the educational approach would not be complete without training. To keep their talent anchored in the realities of the market, NSEs favour training. The aim is to certify their talents as they develop their skills throughout their careers.
How do you sell a skill?
Like companies, mobility and flexibility are often important values for young profiles. As well as asserting these values as a competitive advantage, NSEs need to know how to stand out from the crowd when it comes to selling their skills. There are three key areas in which they can do this.
- Guaranteeing profile quality thanks to educational programmes that train and certify talent.
- Claiming experience in the field with the help of feedback from experienced profiles and their constant monitoring of companies' needs.
- A competitive commercial offering which focuses on two key areas: aggressive pricing and a high level of availability for businesses.
