Buckle up, we are talking talent acquisition
Updated: Feb 2, 2022
If you ever find yourself in a conversation with any start up or scale up CEO or their People & Talent team, there is a 99,9% chance that the topic of talent acquisition will come up. The questions around attracting the right talent at the right time are endless and this one is at the center:
"How can I hire with speed and quality?"
Speed vs Quality
Let's focus on this for a minute...
Growing your team is never an easy task and it is a very hands on job that requires the effort of pretty much everyone in your organization. Do you really want to dedicate a bunch of time and effort into closing a role quickly, just to find out 2 months along the way that the person is not a fit? Or even worse; having that person turn their back on you because you did not fulfill any of their expectations as an employer?
I am pretty sure I know the answer to that question!
We could go into specifics and start talking about all the monetary costs around hiring and backfilling but let's be real for a moment. The bottom line is that you do not want a demotivated, burnt out team that is caught in a loop of re-hiring, re-onboarding, re-prioritizing, so please do yourself and your people a favor and focus on quality hiring, by investing time into building a well oiled recruitment engine.
And how do I do that, you might ask?
Start with the basics
Start by defining who you want to hire/when do you want to hire and how long will it take you to fill those roles ( be realistic and be prepared for this plan to change on a regular basis). Doing this will give you some perspective around what you are trying to accomplish and help you prioritize.
Get your facts straight: Define what type of employer you want to be and how you want to portray yourself to the exterior. An accurate reflection of who you are and what your mission is, will help you attract the right talent.
Defining where you want to stand in terms of compensation and benefits will definitely help you stand strong in the war for talent. You might not be able to match the benefits of all your competitors but a good company culture, an innovative product, flexibility and a fair salary, can take you a long way.
Tool up: A good ATS system, with automated processes and workflows will help you simplify the administrative tasks and the life of your recruiters and hiring managers. (Tip: dont forget onboarding, a good applicant tracking system can help you with that as well).
Step up on that process
Processes are meant to uncomplicate things, so don't get tied up in creating too complex hiring process. Keep it short and sweet and keep your eye on the target; ensuring everyone knows what to do and being able to hire effectively while providing the best candidate experience ever!
On that topic....
Candidate Experience is Everything
We all know them, the charming recruiters reaching out via Linkedin, trying to sell you a world of opportunities. The great salary, the amazing company culture, the growth opportunities, it almost sounds too good to be truth, doesn't it?
Now, think about that and raise your hand if you have ever experienced the following:
Agreeing to jump on a call and learn more about the role but the recruiter doesn't show up ✅
Agreeing to jump on a call, which ends up being rescheduled 2 min before ✅
Realizing after 5 minutes into a conversation with the recruiter that this person actually has no clue about the company they represent or the actual role ✅
Get ghosted after having invested hours of your life in interviews ✅
Feeling cofused because the recruiter or hiring manager is not able to answer any of your questions around the job ✅
A bad candidate experience is an absolute killer if you are trying to establish yourself as a good employer. Be present, follow up and remember that you are representing your company's brand at every step of your recruitment process.
There are many things to consider before, during and after you hire someone, and this little article is merely a reflection of experiences from someone that has been on both sides of the tables, candidate and recruiter.
From my experience, when it comes to hiring, the rules of thumb are simple: prepare, prioritize, measure your success and failure, learn and adapt.
It's important to keep in mind that this is only the start of the journey. The real deal, starts once that contract is signed and a start date is set, so invest time into getting the basics right and you will be set for success.