Half the candidates eyeing up management level positions in UK firms lack leadership skills
Half the candidates eyeing up management level positions in UK firms lack leadership skills, according to a new research.
Nearly one in five (18 per cent) management candidates fall short on planning skills, with 15 per cent lacking functional, job-related skills and 14 per cent lacking communication skills, a study of 200 HR directors by recruitment consultancy Robert Half UK has found.
Nearly half (50 per cent) of candidates applying for staff level roles do nor hold job-related skills while other areas staff level candidates need to improve in are communication skills (22 per cent) and leadership skills (20 per cent).
HR directors look for technical skills in a candidates, two-fifths of them said, with just 15 per cent saying the opposite. A mere five per cent of HR directors think those at staff level should worry about improving their project management or strategic planning skills.
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Phil Sheridan, senior managing director at Robert Half UK, said developing soft skills is important for boosting the workplace.
"Many organisations today are reviewing their growth goals for the year and are ensuring they have the right people on hand to help steer the organisation to meet those goals.
“When adding new professionals to their team, hiring managers base their decisions on different criteria, depending on the level of seniority of the role. Professional experience and functional skills are the most important factors for hiring managers recruiting for staff level roles, in comparison to the emphasis on leadership skills for management level. One thing that is clear from both is the need for new hire’s to add value from day one and support the business objectives.”