How to recruit outside the big centers?

Many believe that the great professional opportunities are concentrated in the big metropolises. However, this is not 100% true. Excellent vacancies and careers can be achieved in smaller cities, but there are few that open to these possibilities which triggers, in these regions, a greater difficulty in attracting skilled labor and, with this, expand their economic potential. Those who decide, at least, to know these possibilities, certainly can achieve not only a good job, but also a better quality of life.

The warming of the specialized labor market is generating a feeling of understandable insecurity among companies. According to data released in the Robert Half Confidence Index (ICRH), 3% of companies are afraid of losing their most qualified professionals to competition (something that, in the face of such opportunities offered in the capitals, becomes even greater.

Even in the face of this fear, today, we cannot link these metropolises as exclusive places of career prosperity and quality of life. After all, at the same time that we can find a series of vacancies, the competition to fill them is, likewise, high. While, if they sought for placements in smaller cities, the same benefits could be acquired.

The diversity of work models highlighted during social isolation was one of the factors that contributed most to this expansion. With technological advances, we currently have a series of tools that enable remote operations, maintaining the quality of deliverables. Thus, local companies can hire talents who do not necessarily live in the city, so that they can work remotely and go face-to-face to headquarters on sporadic occasions, according to corporate culture and their needs.

Insisting on having a fully face-to-face model in these smaller cities is not a strategic decision to attract and retain talent from other regions. This is because those who would be willing to move, in most cases, are those who are in a more stable moment of their lives, prioritizing a route that provides them with a higher quality of life.

Those who are not at this moment, will hardly be able to adjust to the logistics of moving, since they would need to see career advantages to accept this new reality.Realistically, nowadays, there are fewer people open to it, which requires these companies a greater flexibility in their operations in order to hire qualified talent without geographical barriers.

There is still a strong cultural resistance to leave the big cities, in the fear of losing visibility in the market, not being called for interviews and not acquiring opportunities that leverage their careers. This is a mentality that, no matter how much it hinders the attraction and retention in smaller cities, can be changed, through a greater emphasis made by these companies as to the benefits they will have by accepting to join their teams.

Apart from the robust technologies we currently have, which allow these operations remotely, cherishing the hybrid model is a highly advantageous solution, and can attract a greater number of qualified professionals without having to be in person at all times. These meetings, therefore, can be organized for relaxation, more strategic meetings and events relevant to planning or training, as an example.

By following these tips, companies located outside the major centers will have a powerful competitive advantage to conquer talents that raise the bar of the business in their segment, without geographical barriers that prevent the coming of skilled labor.