A recruiter, whether external or internal, formal or informal, plays a crucial role in both a candidate’s and an employer’s work life. If recruitment companies are to survive the proverbial rat race, they have to stay ahead of their game by adopting innovative ways to market, operate and employ customer service when sourcing and securing talent within any given sector.    While the goal of finding quality candidates can’t be avoided, the way in which you do so does – it’s that clever combination of human expertise with technology and smart thinking - creating niche markets that will ultimately benefit both client, candidate and agency. 

The 2017 Fintech Talent Africa Report of the Digital Frontiers Institute (DFI), which draws on a cross-sectoral survey of more than 400 leaders, managers and professionals across 69 organisations and 10 sub-Saharan African countries, found that the demand for talent on the continent completely outstrips what is available. This makes it absolutely crucial for the industry to develop more talented workers and to get them in front of the companies that need them.  By partnering with institutions and businesses that add value, recruiters and candidates are able to tap into beneficial resources that will have a positive impact on all outcomes.

TalentintheCloud, who specialise in Fintech recruitment across the African Continent, recently announced a partnership with The Digital Frontiers Institute (DFI), who provide online executive education courses, targeted research into the fintech industry and its growing league of industry professionals.  CEO of Talent in the Cloud, Darren Franks, says, “We wanted to partner with DFI to help address the ever-increasing skills gap between traditional and digital banking.”  This partnership will ensure a close relationship between fintech talent and development on the continent, boosting the sector with highly trained and well-placed professionals.

Commenting on the partnership, CMO of DFI Debra Roodt says, “We believe this partnership will not only boost the credibility of our Chartered Digital Finance Practitioner certification within the sector, but that it will allow graduates to be front and centre in recruiting processes throughout the continent, thanks to TalentintheCloud’s unparallelled access to digital financial services companies in Africa.”

Franks adds that there is a huge gap in the market for recognised digital financial services professionals, so the aim is to be able to provide the means to prepare tomorrow’s fintech leaders for the challenges and opportunities they will encounter in a fast-changing and disruptive landscape. Through online executive education courses, targeted research into the fintech industry, and its growing league of industry professionals, they will be able to build capabilities with the view to bridging capacity gaps that exist, especially in developing markets.   Focusing on putting talent first, the goal is to improve the way that companies recruit by combining technology and human expertise to address the ever-increasing skills gap between traditional and digital banking. 

“Accredited courses like the CDFP are crucial in a digital finance market like Africa,” Roodt adds. “They allow graduates to distinguish themselves in a fiercely competitive market, especially where demand for experienced professionals is so great. Getting an accreditation behind your name gives you the solid foundations you need to build a career in the industry.”

There’s a war on for Digital Financial Services talent right now and few people have the right skills and experience, so a certification will certainly help candidates to stand out from the crowd.