Finding the right people for a vacancy is often a challenge for HR and L&D professionals. And that's putting it mildly. For some sectors or specific profiles, filling vacancies can be downright daunting.
Does this sound familiar? Read on to find out how language training can benefit recruitment.
In a country like Belgium, where multilingualism plays a crucial role, language skills are often a stumbling block to finding the right candidate. Employers place significant value on language skills, which is understandable in a country with three official languages and a strong international orientation.
However, focusing on candidates' existing language skills has its pitfalls:
Strong candidates are rejected despite their excellent qualifications and potential for the job.
Organisations settle for less suitable candidates because they meet the language requirements.
Vacancies often remain open for a long time, increasing the workload on employees.
Instead of missing out on valuable profiles due to a lack of or insufficient language skills, companies can opt for a more flexible approach.
How?
By focusing on the specific requirements needed for the job during recruitment and investing in targeted language training for your new employee(s) after hiring.
This way you stand to gain a lot:
Larger talent pool
Don't reject candidates based on their language skills. Instead, give them the chance to improve their language skills after hiring. This expands your potential talent pool, making it much easier to find the perfect candidate with the right professional skills and a good fit for the company culture.
Faster filling of vacancies
You can fill your vacancies faster if language skills are no longer a strict requirement but a development point. This reduces the time pressure on your HR department and ensures that teams are complete and functioning optimally more quickly.
Improved employee satisfaction and loyalty
Employees who get the chance to develop feel valued and supported. By giving them the opportunity to strengthen their language skills, you also create higher satisfaction and loyalty, which in the long term leads to lower staff turnover.
Competitive advantage
By investing in the development of your employees, you distinguish your organisation as an attractive employer. This can give you a competitive advantage in the job market.
Filling your vacancies doesn't have to be exhausting. By investing in language training, HR and L&D professionals can hire strong candidates, regardless of their initial language skills.
How can BLCC help?
BLCC offers tailor-made language training that perfectly matches the needs of your organisation and employees. Our training is flexible and practical, allowing your employees to develop the language skills they need to be successful in their roles. They also learn to effectively apply their newly acquired language skills in their daily work context.
Curious how other companies solved their recruitment problems with our language training?