Undeniably, the pandemic has shaken up many aspects of business, including talent acquisition. The previous year has been quite tough on Recruiters and Talent Acquisition professionals. It was a roller-coaster ride for many teams as the demand for talent changed in different sectors and virtual onboarding became the new normal for many companies. But of course, the situation has emphasized the importance of digital transformation and pushed plenty of businesses to embrace tech innovations at a mighty fast speed. 

Now as we welcome a new year, the demand for talents has started to pick up pace, presenting a set of new challenges to HR and Talent Acquisition professionals. 

Some of the key factors that we predict to affect these changes include the mindset shift among talents to stay in their companies in view of stability, tightened foreign worker policies in certain countries,  the concerns on recruitment and hiring budget as well as the challenges that come with remote working.

To help us understand more about the overall landscape of HR and Talent Acquisition in 2021, plus the challenges and ways to overcome them, we at The Supply Advisory invited two guests from the Agriscience Industry to share their insights. 

We asked our Experts, Echo Wu of FMC Agro and Agnes Commys of Corteva  their thoughts on the question:

What are the top 3 challenges and the tips to overcome these challenges that you would give to Business/Function/TA/HR Leaders to effectively strategize and execute their Talent Acquisition plan across the region?

Check out their response below:

Echo Wu

HR Director-APAC

FMC Corporation, An Agricultural Sciences Company

Taking care of the business needs immediately

The way we used to do TA and onboarding has shifted dramatically due to C-19. There’s no more onsite interviews in most countries; document collection and “wet signatures” became almost impossible in some countries; and new employee onboarding became virtual which is challenging for new hires to feel connected and engaged if they do not have the chance to meet and greet people in the office. The HR team and business leaders need to be agile, flexible and creative to ensure business continuity. We have quickly shifted to video enabled interviews; updated the onboarding process to ensure we are virtual yet compliant. New employees are invited to do a self-introduction via a video that is embedded in the organizational announcement and we organize virtual employee engagement activities to make them feel welcomed.

Eliminating bias

One of the priorities for FMC is to create a workplace that is truly diverse and inclusive. It starts from hire diversity and eliminating bias in the process. To achieve it, we introduced a standardized recruitment process from JD drafting, interview questions standardization, candidate evaluation formalization. Always remember to educate the HR team and hiring manager to be aware of their unconscious bias and avoid bias sneaking into the hiring/interview process. Tap on ERGs, universities and other networks to source diverse candidates and finally, ensure diversity in the interview panel.

Focus on long term: building diverse talent pools proactively

The market is slowly warming up as more companies resumed their hiring in Q1 2021. Business leaders and HR practitioners must not only focus on the current open positions. Workforce planning and competency mapping will help you to get an idea of what kind of skills, knowledge and experiences are needed in the organization in the long run. Start by inviting potential candidates to join the company’s external talent network and learn more about your company, showcase the company culture and get candidates excited to join and keep them up to date with the company’s open job positions.      

Agnes Commys

Talent Management and Talent Acquisition Lead APAC

Corteva Agriscience™

Hiring for cultural fit

As a newly formed company, building the right culture is extremely important to us. The people we hire now, will set the tone for our future. We need people able to build the future organization, people with entrepreneurial outlook. That isn’t always easy. It’s imperative that we take a more strategic approach to talent acquisition; we need to challenge hiring managers to equally prioritize behaviors and values alongside skills and experience.

Hiring diverse talent

Despite women representing almost half the agricultural farming workforce, the number of women with experience in AgScience is limited. To achieve diversity, companies need to put in structural steps to remove bias and ensure women candidates are considered. For example, all interview panels have at least one woman, all roles include at least one female candidate. Agencies will need to actively seek out and present more candidates who are women.

Flexibility expectations have changed due to Covid

The COVID pandemic has shifted expectations about flexibility – both for employers and candidates. As a hiring company, with the right practices and culture, the pool of talent should be wider now. Companies should embrace this opportunity, and ensure managers and leaders are equipped with the skills they need to recruit, onboard, manage and motivate in a more flexible working environment, often remotely.

Indeed, HR and Talent acquisition teams are bound to be constantly faced with challenges. However, with proper planning and having a clear long-term focus, companies could effectively navigate the new landscape of recruitment.

Thank you to our speakers Echo Wu and Agnes Commys for graciously sharing their thoughts and expert insights with our readers. 

Make sure to catch the next Expert Insights from The Supply Advisory by joining our newsletter.

Ananya Sinha Roy is the Director at The Supply Advisory (a division of Datasearch Consulting), a leading executive recruitment firm specialising in Procurement & Supply Chain.

You can view the The Supply Advisory website or contact them directly at info@supplyadvisory.com for a more detailed discussion.