The 3 questions to start your search for suitable candidates in the digital era

For the first time in our economic history we face a kind of transformation that doesn’t allow for much deliberation or hesitation. Therefore, to remain a market leader, you need to provide digital solutions that exceed the expectations and wishes of your customers.

A thorough digital transformation is essential to achieve this. However, depending on what challenges your company is facing, digital transformation can mean something completely different. So how to find the right people to take with you on your quest to digitally transform your business? Always ask yourself these 3 questions when searching for suitable candidates in the digital era.

1. What is my current situation?

This question implicates many side questions: Where are you, your team, your department and your organization at the moment? Which skills are already developed? What weaknesses and strengths do the company and its people have? Are you already working on your digital transformation, or are you still looking for a way to catch up?

Try to understand and analyse the biggest flaws and the reasons for being in a particular position. Furthermore, you have to take into account your current employees, the technology you have access to, your available investment capital, your current partnerships, etc.

This thorough analysis of your current situation is the foundation of your evolution towards digital transformation. After this, you can ask yourself if you are heading in the right direction and be fully aware of your needs.

2. Where do I need to be?

While a few years ago customers appreciated the option of mobile and online solutions, now they rely on them. Providing your customers with smooth and user-friendly digital solutions is expected of you. It is no longer a nice-to-have, but it’s a must-have. The digital world is a fast-moving environment and old rigid processes are too slow to keep you in the lead.

Consequently, a major problem seems to be that a lot of businesses don’t know where to start; the digital realm evolves quickly and companies don’t have 10 years of experience to know what works and what doesn’t work. Companies, no matter their size, need to implement an agile mindset. To achieve this, the first step is designing a roadmap. Firstly, you determine the full scope and timing of the digital transformation project, and secondly you map out in great detail all the steps necessary to successfully complete the project. When your roadmap is in place, you can start to see more clearly what people you need to be successful.

3. What do I need to get there?

Most companies focus only on the tasks that need to be done to successfully accomplish a digital project. Very few consider the people that will actually do them: their talent, their personality and their ability to be a valuable team member. This brings us to one of the main obstacles for organizations: finding the right people. When looking for the best candidate, take into account the difference between a good candidate that can get the job done, and the perfect match for the team.

At this point, you’re faced with a choice: you can either hire affordable people full-time, or you can hire top-notch experts for as long as you need to set up a certain project. Experienced people are often too expensive to hire long term; this is where the agile mindset kicks in. In an agile approach, you think of digitization as a collection of short-term projects to implement a long-term strategy. Working in an agile way allows you to choose the second strategy, and to attract the most knowledgeable and experienced people to help you with the transformation.

Contracting allows you to work with exactly the right people for exactly the right amount of time. You can shift gears quickly, complete your project and reach the next level with your company. Once that transformation is implemented, the contracted expert moves on to their next project and you are set to go and grow. In order to put together the most effective workforce, experts can help you select the best people for your project. It’s essential to provide the right people with the right power if you want to create the biggest impact. In more practical terms, every team member should have the appropriate roles and responsibilities according to their skills and mindset. This premise has been proven time and time again.

We can help!

We are deeply convinced that digital transformation is the main challenge that many companies will be facing for years to come. Don’t let the noise within the digital transformation world distract you from the fact that your company will benefit from putting the right people in their optimized position and have everyone working into the same direction. Consider making meaningful changes to your organization and creating a culture in which your employees, both permanent and contracted, can thrive. If you are not sure about the roadmap or steps that your company could take for digital transformation, we can help! Contact us with your details and our experienced team will help guide you to the best talent available.