The current employment market has been turned on its ear thanks, in part, to the pandemic and its aftermath. In response, a significant slice of the U.S. workforce has shifted its work arrangement.

Employees are retiring outright, leaving traditional jobs for entrepreneurial efforts, or scaling back to part-time positions.

On the employers’ side, this exit shrinks the pool of appropriate job candidates, making positions harder to fill.

And while this trend affects entities such as family-run restaurants and small-scale service providers, it’s starting to create hiring difficulties in big business as well.

The Hottest Employment Market in Memory

In response, corporations like Qlik are weaving a bit of creativity and flexibility into their hiring practices.

David Jones, Qlik’s Head of Global Recruitment, shared some thoughts on current hiring practices and how his organization is adjusting.

“There is no doubt that the current market is competitive,” he said. “It’s the hottest I’ve seen in my career.”

Jones says that one of the most notable aspects of 2021 hiring is speed. Just as the residential housing market is seeing prime properties swept up in a blink, excellent employees are being snatched up lightning fast.

Candidate Enticements

It’s a matter of skilled personnel being concurrently courted by numerous suitors, Jones explained. That feeding frenzy for talent requires the agility to sign the right person in the right role before he or she moves to another opportunity.

Especially if that opportunity is with a competitor.

Signing bonuses have begun again to reemerge in the current job market. Jones has seen their use and considers them as a worthy tactic in a hiring company’s toolkit.

But clearly not the only one.

“Job candidates are considering the more experiential components to a new position,” he said. “They’re interested in how flexible Qlik can be, what the work environment is, how will their contributions be recognized and valued.”

Environment

Qlik prides itself on creating an environment in which potential professionals will want to work.

“We have seen candidates who genuinely have a purpose and want to give back,” Jones commented. “This outlook aligns perfectly with our Corporate Responsibility (CR) team through Qlik.org.

“Whether partnering with the United Nations to help achieve their goals through hackathons or using analytics to assist C40 Cities in fighting climate change, we feel it’s our obligation to use our software and expertise to drive impact in our community and the world,” Jones continued.

Education

The tech industry in particular changes so quickly that a thirst for ongoing education is another plus for potential “Qlikkies.” His company readily welcomes candidates committed to skill building and promotes that opportunity as a perk.

“This year, we rolled out our Business School Program. Qlikkies have the chance to take virtual courses from some of the world’s top business schools, including Wharton, Columbia, Harvard, Yale, and Duke — at no cost.

“Course topics range from Diversity & Inclusion and Workplace Wellness to Operations and Finance in a career-focused curriculum. Lectures and assignments are virtual and asynchronous, with some optional live events.

“The feedback from our employees has been tremendous,” Jones said.

Core Values

Hiring practices can say a lot about a corporate brand. In the vein of “There’s never a second chance to make a first impression,” Qlik strives to set the tone of its corporate culture from the very outset.

Jones himself remembers his interview six years ago and the impression it left on him about the organization.

“One of the things that resonated with me was that my interviewer reviewed with me the Qlik core values early on in the process,” he said.

The company’s core values are:

• Challenge
• Be open and straightforward
• Move fast
• Take responsibility
• Teamwork for results

“These are more than just words on a wall,” Jones said. “We use them to guide our interview process to evaluate candidates.

The Qlik corporate culture is also heavy on recognition. Jones ensures that interviewees hear about its Rewards and Recognition Program, called Inspire.

“It’s a great way to get a ‘high five’ in front of your colleagues,” he described.

Qlik also bolstered its employee referral program, tripling the incentive for content Qlikkies to add other content Qlikkies to the ranks.

“It’s gone from $2,500 to $7,500,” Jones related. “We have found our top hires continue to be from our employees. One in every four hires comes from fellow Qlikkies.”

Agility

The one thing Jones ensures in his hiring process is agility. The current job market, so tied to daily health statuses, has shifted and morphed numerous times in the past 18 months. Jones keeps things fluid to ensure he can respond.

The Collegiate Class of 2021

Jones has been particularly impressed with recent college graduates entering the job market. Qlik offers them a unique opportunity to test the corporate waters and see how they fare.

“Our R&D team has done a tremendous job organizing hackathons throughout the year,” he describes. “It’s an opportunity for students to participate in a super fun event, solving problems and learning about Qlik by utilizing our software.

“We can see how students think and perform in a team setting, typically over a weekend. We have made outstanding hires coming out of events like this.

We have also been very impressed with our summer interns this year; they give us an idea of the upcoming talent.”

Providing a Worthy Setting

Although no exercise in hiring is always successful, Qlik’s approach provides a worthy setting to evaluate the employee-employer mix.

“The days of finding a candidate that is a 100 percent fit for a role is over,” he concludes. “If we can identify a candidate with the right core skills, who align to our core values and who has the aptitude and drive to learn, the results will be a positive hire.”

For more on Qlik, its corporate culture, and its open positions, visit its website.