In continuation of our most recent post, 7 Tips to Attract the Right Talent – Part 1 we covered a few simple, yet strategic, recommendations to get ahead in the talent war. These are taken directly from our consulting with organizations who are either behind the curve or fighting to stay ahead of the curve!
4 More Tips for Attracting the Right Talent
- Don’t ‘bank on’ your network or the people who come to the top of your current employees’ minds. Just because someone came to mind quickly doesn’t ensure they’re the best fit. Low hanging fruit may get you fruit, but it may not be the highest quality provided by that tree. Engage the help of experts who focus on networking with, identifying and building trusted relationships with the top talent in a given area.
- Be ready to narrow the pool of candidates and make a decision on your top choice. When you’re hiring, your reputation is being explored by qualified candidates just as much as you’re exploring theirs. By remaining focused on your talent search and making swift decisions, you demonstrate to the talent pool that you’re serious about solving problems. On the other hand, a long, indecisive process can give the perception that you’re on a ‘fishing expedition’ to see what’s out there. The best candidates won’t appreciate this, nor will they need to endure it. They won’t need to, because your decisive competitor will have just hired them.
- Think and act proactively. Organizations that are consistently looking for and are open to being introduced to ‘top talent’ are 10 steps ahead of those who only meet talent when they have an emergency or immediate need. In today’s environment you should be describing the type of leaders, key team players and future contributors that your organization will need to be successful now and in the future. Share with your talent and business advisors what challenges the organization is facing, what opportunities you see on the horizon, where you could strengthen your team and the type of talent that would make the biggest impact on your business. You will be amazed over time how this strategy will pay off significantly and you will never look at recruiting the same.
- Finally, consider your whole Talent Management process. Retention is becoming more and more paramount, and should be understood equally or more than recruiting. Consider how you can do a better job of retaining, growing and developing the talent you have. As the war on talent escalates, you must make the care and feeding of your people a priority, or someone else will be happy to take that burden (along with your talent) from you.
Now that we have challenged you on 7 strategic areas to focus on what will you be doing differently? Also, what other areas do you see the need to address as you look at the big picture of attracting, recruiting and winning the war on talent.