What goes into finding talent with "the best fit?"

The truth is that we’re not all going back to the office. With this new reality in mind, Andela is helping companies source talent and build better teams from anywhere. Our technical talent marketplace is the fastest growing in the world, made available to businesses that want to accelerate global hiring and world-class technical talent who seek career growth. In the recently launched CBS Thought Leadership feature spotlighting Andela’s mission to connect brilliance with opportunity, I got the opportunity to share a bit about what “the best fit” means when it comes to matching talent with clients.

The best fit isn’t just about who has the skill you’re looking for

As VP of Product at Andela, making sure the right person can be found quickly and efficiently has been my north star throughout this journey. The technology we’ve built to service our clients also delivers new opportunities to our talent network. While our team worked on the development of our platform, we asked ourselves, “What exactly is ‘the best fit’ and how do we achieve it?” What’s “right” is different in the mind of so many leaders.

Some may see “the best fit” as skillsets or expertise, but we know there are many factors that translate into the perfect chemistry between a technologist and a client. Others may not know from the start what they’re looking for. We’ve built a platform that takes all of that into account in order to guide clients through the process of sharing key information around their needs. This helps us understand exactly what the “right fit” looks like.

It’s critical to consider career goals across the talent marketplace

It’s commonplace for a talent marketplace to fit talent with a client’s needs, but we’ve flipped that on its head here at Andela to ask: Does the client’s opportunity fulfill the talent’s career goals? That’s just as important as filling gaps on our clients’ teams.

In order for a mutually fulfilling partnership to take place, making sure an engagement goes beyond interest, which is a given for us, is necessary. Will this person thrive in this environment? Will they be happy, genuinely, with the team and the culture? Will they be empowered to reach their professional career goals?

Timezone overlap is more nuanced than one might think

Where the talent is located inevitably matters. Whether it’s a preference to get as much timezone overlap as possible or a need to have support around the clock, managing timezone availability is critical for that “best fit,” we’re searching for.

In addition, while connecting clients to talent with timezone overlap is important, not everyone prefers to work 9-to-5 within their own timezone. There are times when talent will mark themselves as available in one timezone even though they live across the globe. We take that preference into account to stay flexible depending on the client’s needs and the talent’s work-life goals.

At the end of the day, it’s all about personalization for both sides

The process doesn’t end when talent is matched with a client. Throughout the work relationship, we are intentional about providing accessible avenues for communication so both clients and talent feel supported and heard. With our focus on helping talent build sustainable careers, we understand that they are trusting us with their professional careers and long-term goals. It’s just as important for us to understand what the experience is like for the talent as it is for us to measure impact on the client’s side.

All of this contributes to how our platform learns over time to make smarter recommendations as more matches are made, saving time for our clients and ensuring that talent receive fulfilling engagements through our marketplace.

Watch the CBS feature on Andela to learn more about the technology we’re building to impact hiring globally.