How can you find the right talent for your workforce?

Finding the right talent for your workforce requires a strategic approach. Begin by clearly defining the roles and skills you need, ensuring alignment with both immediate and long-term business goals. Use diverse sourcing channels, such as employee referrals, social media, and professional networks, to cast a wide net. Develop an appealing employer brand that highlights your organization’s values and culture, attracting candidates who resonate with your mission. Incorporate structured interviews and assessment tools to objectively evaluate candidates. Lastly, maintain a strong onboarding and retention strategy to nurture and grow top talent within your company.

Communicating the needs and context of your organization is key to attracting the right talent, being open with the day-to-day challenges will provide assertiveness in the hiring process in the short term, however being flexible will ensure that you retain talent in the long term.

One thing I've found helpful is that when reviewing resumes and conducting interviews, make sure to ask behavioural and situational questions that will give you insight into a candidate's experience and problem-solving abilities. Additionally, consider offering a skills test or trial period to assess a candidate's performance in a real-world setting. Overall, finding the right talent requires a combination of clear communication, strategic sourcing, and thorough evaluation to ensure you are hiring the best candidate for your organization.

Before looking externally, first look to your team or organisation; is there an opportunity to up-skill someone here? Internal mobility is an effective retention strategy, and one that external candidates seek out in their job search. Does this role touch other areas of the business? If so, get their perspective on what a good candidate looks like, and piece with yours. Separate your 'must haves' from your 'nice to haves'. Is there a certain technology stack they must know? Is there a language they can learn on the job with support from your team? Do you have the capacity and time to up-skill a candidate? Knowing the answer to these make the role mandate clear to everyone from the start, and sets the candidate up for success.

Once the precise needs have been defined, then the hard work begins. What kind of *person* are you looking for? Will they be a good fit for the team. Look at folks who didn't work out in the past. What caused the relationship to not be a good fit? Skills can be taught, but personality is more important. Ask yourself. "Can I work with this person?"

It’s all about positioning yourself in a competitive labor market effectively. By enhancing your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) and positioning your company strategically, you can attract the right talent, making it easier to fill positions seamlessly.

Some talent loves to hide or might be just "speculatively looking," meaning there's a high chance they won't see it if you just put it on your website. If you are looking for developers working with React, send your managers to React meetups or have them start posting about your cool React projects. Maybe infiltrate a Slack/Discord/Facebook/Gitup group where the talent you are looking to hire are regulars. If you know you will hire a specific talent group moving forward, then start investing in the community of that talent pool. Hosting events, making content, and engaging can be a great way to get some awesome people who don't look at job ads. Find where the talent lives or who might be the community person in your area to get started.

The most powerful hiring tool at your disposal are referrals. Your team, stakeholders, network; they have worked with people with the same profile you need. They know what they're like to work with, the projects they've worked on, their strengths and capabilities. Once you have defined your needs, reach out; do they know anyone who could be a great fit for the role? Do they know of any projects winding down where talent could become available? Do they attend any Meetups or groups where potential talent could be? Will they be willing to share the job advert to their network on LinkedIn, or in a Slack channel they are a member in? This has now opened up multiple new channels, and reached candidates who may have never known you were hiring.

Diversifying your recruitment channels is essential to reach a broader range of candidates. Online platforms, networking, and partnerships with external agencies all play a vital role in ensuring you have access to a diverse and qualified talent pool. It's a comprehensive approach to attract both active and passive candidates while promoting your employer brand.

In my experience, ensuring a diverse interview team is key. Innate diversity as well as diversity of thought should be considered when selecting your interview panel. This is perhaps most relevant for senior roles, but applicable for any role.

Assessing candidates thoroughly is crucial to making the right hiring decisions. Interviews, tests, assessments, and simulations help evaluate their skills and abilities, while behavioral and situational questions reveal their personality and attitude. Additionally, involving team members and stakeholders can provide valuable insights from diverse perspectives. Reference and background checks further ensure a well-rounded evaluation of a candidate’s fit for your workforce.

Effective communication with candidates is essential for a positive hiring experience. Providing clear information, timely updates, and responsive communication not only builds trust and rapport but also contributes to a positive employer reputation. Treating candidates with respect and appreciation throughout the process reflects well on your organization and can lead to a more successful recruitment outcome.

Offering competitive benefits is crucial in attracting and retaining top talent. Salary and compensation are important, but non-monetary benefits like flexible work arrangements, career growth opportunities, recognition, and wellness programs are equally significant. Providing a well-rounded benefits package not only motivates employees but also sets your organization apart as an attractive employer. It’s a key factor in building a strong and satisfied workforce.

This is absolutely important in today workforce, finding talent who desire a work life balance. Benefits which are non monetary require innovative approaches in recruitment, interviewing, and onboarding new talent. Partnering with institutions with higher learning colleges, trade schools, and Universities.

When improving your hiring process look at the data from your recent processes. This can include; how many candidates applied to our advert, how many did we directly approach, how many 1st round interviewees progressed to 2nd round, how many candidates dropped out mid-process and why? There are many other metrics to define the effectiveness of your hiring process but by looking at definitive numbers it will become apparent where you can improve your process. To give an example: -If you had 50 applicants to your advert but only 2 had the right skillset, you look at your copywriting - If candidates drop out mid-process, are there too many interview rounds/did it take too long in-between interviews?

A hiring process should be accessible to everyone; it should accommodate candidates who may require additional support in the process, as well as those who don't. A candidate may have an impairment or disability that requires a different interview structure; think video interview vs in-person, or structured questions vs conversational interview. They will most likely tell you how you can best accommodate them, and this can help you adjust accordingly. It's imperative that you don't dismiss these accommodations and put them in the too-hard basket; an incredible and capable workforce of candidates are out there that can take your role to the next level, if you just put in the time and effort to make the role and process accessible for them.

Keep your hiring process repeatable and scalable across your company. A candidate should have the same experience across the organization. If the recruiting process is smooth, a candidate will not only have a better transition period but may be more inclined to refer someone.