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| » July 2006 |
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| Recruiting Intelligence - Pulling Out All the Stops |
| By Bill Holland |
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A key position has suddenly become vacant in your department. As the hiring manager, you are responsible for filling it in a timely way, and the expectation is that you find the absolute best talent for the job. Do you have the recruiting intelligence to recruit the intelligence? |
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You’re off to a good start. Using the existing job description, the input of key stakeholders, and your own expert analysis, you’ve created a current job profile that clearly communicates your expectations to prospective employees. But where are these prospects hiding? What strategies will you use to find them and draw them in? If you truly want the best talent, be prepared to pull out all the stops.
The first place you might want to look is in your own backyard. According to a recent wwwork! poll, 40% of respondents indicated they would prefer to seek internal opportunities rather than leave the company for another job. A great internal candidate may be just down the hall, working at another location in the city, or managing one of your subsidiaries abroad. Take the time to get to know the talent within your organization – it may serve you well at times like this.
Of course there are pros and cons to hiring internally. On the upside, it’s fiscally prudent. Considerably less time and money would be spent on recruiting, on-boarding and training efforts. In addition, internal prospects are presumably already acculturated and more likely to be familiar with organizational processes. On the downside, an internal hire may bring with them a sense of entitlement, and a narrow perspective on common organizational issues. An outsider, on the other hand, could bring a fresh outlook and a new approach to problem solving.
Another potential disadvantage is the inevitable gap created by hiring internally. It’s crucial to have effective internal movement strategies and succession plans in place. Fostering a culture of promoting from within and having a transparent process will lessen the feelings of internal inequity and the “robbing Peter for Paul” effect. Also ensure your internal hiring policies are open and fair to all who apply – be careful not to let personal biases get in the way of making hiring decisions.
Employee referrals can be a tremendous source of talent. After all, the best advocates for your company are current and former employees – that is, if they are satisfied employees! (Stay tuned next month for a discussion on employee engagement and what you can do to keep your employees happy.) A well designed incentive program can encourage employees to refer the best and brightest among their own network.
You’ve likely also had active job seekers contact your company seeking opportunities. Don’t ignore these unsolicited contacts! Among them may be just what you’re seeking for current or future openings – a proactive, well-informed individual willing to take risks. Be sure to create an efficient resume tracking system and talent database to manage information from active job seekers and employee referrals. Being well organized and prepared will facilitate your current and upcoming recruitment activities.
If you’re willing to groom green talent, consider culling recent or forthcoming college/university grads for internship or summer student programs. Many schools have such programs in place – call around to find one that suits you, or be creative and create your own.
A more common approach is simply to advertise on job boards like Workopolis and Monster. There are mixed reviews about the effectiveness of this approach, but in a recent wwwork! poll, 65% of respondents believe job boards helped them find work. The sheer volume of resumes collected from advertising on job boards makes it a great way to amass a talent database. The downside is the time and effort it takes to identify the truly superb candidates among the vast number who apply. Even a carefully crafted job posting will invite unqualified candidates. Posting on industry association web sites can help narrow your search by targeting more appropriate candidates.
If you want to avoid sifting through mounds of resumes to find what you’re looking for, consider using a professional search firm. But with so many companies out there, how do you choose? Find one that specializes in your industry/functional area. Recruiters in these firms know the market and are connected to talent. Search firms also have a wide network of contacts and an in-house applicant database.
Another consideration is whether you want to use a contingency or retainer firm. Contingency firms are generally used for entry-level to mid-management roles. They can be used to search the marketplace while you continue to consider internal candidates and referrals. Retainer firms are used for more senior management roles or strategic hires. These firms maintain relationships with candidates throughout their careers, following them through each career move they make. Take care to work with a quality firm that respects confidentiality, and that is committed to open communication with you about the progress of your search.
Expect your recruiter to present you with a short list of qualified candidates for you to interview. Multiple stakeholders should be involved in the interview process to ensure team alignment. Your interview should have some sort of behavioural component to determine whether the candidate has demonstrated the desired characteristics for the role. See the wisdom@wwwork! section of this newsletter to learn more about behavioural interviewing.
If interviewing doesn’t yield the hire that you’re looking for, maybe it’s time to revisit your criteria. It’s important to be creative and flexible during the hiring process. For example, if the candidate seems to be a good behavioural fit but lacks certain technical skills, it might be more worth your while to train them than to start your search from scratch. Or, you may have found the ultimate candidate, but no amount of wooing will convince them to leave their current job. Be open to hiring the “runner up” candidate. Or, consider hiring a contractor to manage the work on a temporary basis while you continue your search for the best.
Keep in mind that a well informed hiring decision includes thorough reference and background checks. Professional firms such as BackCheck (www.backcheck.net) specialize in pre-employment screening. Stay tuned for an upcoming news@wwwork feature about effective reference and background checking.
Once you’ve got your great hire on board, you can’t stop there! (Stay tuned for next month’s newsletter about effective on-boarding and retention strategies). You should always be on the lookout for talent. Continue to nurture your network – you never know when you’ll need to draw on it for future hires. Don’t underestimate the power of networking! In a January 2006 survey by Direct Employers/Booz Allen Hamilton, 88% of recruiters indicated that network contacts (including employee referrals) were the most important means of finding qualified talent. As Bob Lank, Managing Director of FirstHCM is fond of saying: “It used to be ‘It’s not what you know, but who you know’. Now it's ‘It's not even who you know, but who knows you’.” So get your name out there!
In this article, I have outlined several things for you to consider during your search for best talent. Whether internal recruits, employee referrals, job board candidates, search firm finds, or products of your network, you have several options to ponder. Remember that skilled interviewing and thorough background/reference checks also important to round out your hiring efforts. So pull out all the stops and increase your recruiting intelligence! |
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