All of 2021's Talent Thoughts in one big read!

#27???????Simplify your process! Don't let the tail wag the dog!

The purpose of ANY selection process is to get people "in a room" talking to each other AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

Forms to be completed, portals to be accessed, processes to comply with - all add up to one thing - unnecessary delay. Make it simple. Simple can still be excellent

#26???????If your EVP (Employee Value Proposition) has been defined and promoted properly, your next step is to empower your employees to be their own recruiters.

Who better to sell the benefits of working for your organisation than the employees who work there and who helped define the EVP? Invest (seriously) in your Employee Referral Scheme. Today.

#25???????Outmoded and outdated methods of thinking (like thinking hiring for Data is just the same as hiring for any other Tech discipline) leave you vulnerable.

Challenge any internal stakeholder (leadership, HR, operations) who do not approach this problem with a fresh, open mind-set. No-one has all of the answers, but the correct answers are certainly not "how we've always done things"

#24???????Hot from this week's DIGIT EXPO Panel on How to grow and scale a data team

To paraphrase Mr.?Mark Hunter: Pay as much attention to talent retention as you do to attraction. Think carefully about how you will tackle the typical "bump in the road" that comes 12-18 months into an employee's tenure with your team. Recruiters gonna recruit. Your staff are being asked the "Do you want a chat?" question on a daily basis - at some point, they stop saying "no" and start saying "maybe" Your job is to anticipate when that might happen and provide a solution.

#23???????EVP = Employee Value Proposition

The employee value proposition (EVP) portrays how the labour market and employees perceive the value employees gain by working in an organisation (Gartner)

Have you got an EVP? If so, have you reviewed it lately? If not, why not? Times are a-changin'.......Along with "Employer Brand", EVP is what dictates who are the "employers of choice" and is super, super important to nail!

#22???????Ancient Proverb says: Just because you write it on a job spec, doesn't mean it exists......"We'd like someone who's quite a bit of A, some B, and with a large dose of C thrown in"

"Are these all essential elements of the role? NEEDS, rather than wants?"

"Yeah"

"Then you need to hire 3 different people"

LISTEN to your (externally facing) Talent advisors. They spend all day, every day, talking to what actually exists. If they say "that's impossible to find" it's not because they are lazy, stupid or (lol) not incentivised to find it.

#21???????On the subject of pace, purpose and momentum.....

48 hours....(72 at an absolute push) is a very sensible turnaround time for you to review a CV. If you are taking longer than this to go back to the candidate with initial thoughts, or to the third party representing the candidate, stop to consider:

The message that the candidate is receiving from your lack of immediate interest

and/or

The message that the supplier is receiving about the seriousness of your intent to hire.

Don't try to hire unless you are serious - and if you are serious - make it a daily top priority task until it's done.

#20???????Timing is Everything

Approach every aspect of a selection process with purpose and momentum and expedite every stage as quickly as is practicable.

And no, I don't say this because I'm a recruitment guy and it's in my selfish interest to speed up processes - it's not in my selfish interest to have a deal fall apart a few weeks later, trust me!!

I say this because you, as a potential employer or employee, are judged by what you do - not what you say. And if the other party detects hesitation in your actions - what message do you think it sends to them?

#19 ??????The "Creation of the Compelling Narrative" is one of the most important steps in the process of attracting niche talent. In niche markets, talented people aren't sitting around in their underpants eating Frosties out of the box all day......They're busy working hard in jobs that they enjoy (mostly!)

You (either directly or through a third party) have to convince them that a conversation with you about your opportunity is going to be worth it.

So start thinking about the great reasons why people work for and with you. Get good at articulating this verbally and in written form.

#18???????Multi-Vendor cuts both ways. You have a "list" of a bundle of suppliers that you use simultaneously - they each have a "list" of a bundle of client opportunities that they are servicing simultaneously. The Multi-Vendor Model forces each supplier to work with multiple clients to ensure that they are successful in satisfying their part of the equation as they might not be the supplier who places an individual role.

Not the best strategy for ensuring that the best available talent is secured!

#17???????More about the Multi-Vendor model

So, you plan to market your Employer Brand and Employee Proposition to one of the most competitive Talent environments that any veteran recruitment specialist can remember through the lenses of multiple suppliers? Good luck with that.

If you are not currently thinking about Exclusive/Retained/Single Vendor models - or if those above you don't understand why this is important - you've got a problem.

#16???????Last thoughts (for now) on that "Multi-Vendor Model". If your primary recruitment route is a group of suppliers, each incentivised to bring you CVs as quickly as possible, don't be too surprised if you regularly miss out on hiring the best available Talent.

"We want a good spread of CVs" will get you a spread, alright - but the chances are it won't be very good.

#15 How Purpose Led is your business? It's become perhaps the most important element to retention of top talent.

Top data and technology talent are much more likely to stay with their employer if their work, and the organisation for which they work, are Purpose Led.?

#14???????Does your organisation provide active support for individual learning? (not just the kind of training they have to do to fulfil the demands of their role)

Talent is retained where it is supported, nurtured and encouraged to develop by their employers. If not, they will look for this elsewhere.?Everyone is different - and everyone has a right to self-improvement

#13???????Holistic views of the work/life balance characterise Talent Magnet organisations. Talent is much more likely to “stick” where they feel the balance between work and life "away from their desk" is respected by their employer. Flexibility around care provision, life events, contingencies, etc – all add up to people feeling valued.?

It's no surprise that Lockdown saw a huge number of people leave their roles.....

#12???????Reward packages should be reviewed frequently, in line with market trends, and should emphasise the changes in an individual’s life. For example, private health options for additional family members, etc. And, for goodness sake, don't benchmark against "the highest-paid member of your team" - look at what's happening outside your own organisation for comparisons!!

#11???????Management – just as important as Leadership for Talent Magnetism. Top talent has no shortage of opportunities to work with great managers. Organisations that focus their efforts on ensuring their management layer is first-class retain great people.?

#10???????Is there a Top-Level commitment to data and technology innovation within your organisation or is lip service being paid to the latest fads?

The best Talent Magnet organisations have a board-level commitment to data and technology. There’s an understanding and recognition of value there. Without this, talent will feel “restless” and easily convinced to look elsewhere.

#9 ????????Retention begins with attraction – look closely at individuals during the selection process to start to understand how and why they stayed in or left their previous roles. Build “stickability” into organisational DNA and it will become normalised.?

Equally, if you are looking for a long-term option in your next role, don't hesitate to ask why peers have moved on from the organisation you are interviewing with. Learn to read the signs.

#8?????????Will everyone who enters into a selection process for any of your roles be provided with feedback as to their performance during and after the process is over??Will that feedback consist of more than just "No, sorry, unsuitable"?

Organisations who provide applicants (and any third-party recruiting on their behalf) with reasons as to why they were unsuccessful in their application keep the door open for that individual re-applying in time. Those who don't................

#7?????????Reward Package – people want to feel cared for. On an individual basis. Does the reward package for your roles reflect not only financial benefits but life, purpose, and value benefits?? Are your salaries benchmarked (regularly) against the market outside of your organisation, not just against the highest-paid members of your team?

Reward is a crucial element of your employee proposition. Use it to attract, not repel, top talent.

#6?????????Interviewing skills - just how good are yours? How do you know?

Just as anyone applying for roles has to hone their interview game, so too does anyone who conducts interviews as part of their role. Don't assume you are good at it. Chances are you can improve. In today's highly competitive talent market, the reason you are missing out on top talent could be, frankly, that you didn't interview them very well.......

Dialogue, body language, questioning skills, ability to describe a compelling narrative............ Assume YOU are being interviewed by your interviewees, and work on being great at it.

#5?????????Candidate Experience – is the same amount of value attached to CanDex as to Customer Experience? Who “owns” this concept within the organisation? How is it measured?? Candidate Experience is a key factor in your organisation being perceived as an "employer of choice". In candidate-driven markets this has a huge bearing on how successful you will be when you hire. CanDex needs to be collectively owned - with champions throughout the organisation - and measured regularly.

#4?????????Selection processes – are the right people always "in the room" to make hiring decisions quickly? Is the selection process reflective of the tasks required for the role? Is the process streamlined?? The best selection processes will be role and task-specific and executed as quickly as possible in order to ensure applicants are not lost due to a loss of momentum. Think carefully about how you hire. A great selection process produces great results.

#3?????????Marketing & Advertising – whether self-promoting or utilising service providers, is your advertising copy accurate and appealing? On Brand? Checked for Inclusivity? Promoted in the right places? Over diluted by multiple service providers??

The purpose of your marketing & advertising is to (a) provide a compelling narrative around the role you are trying to fill, (b) inform readers of the requirements of the role so as to prevent unsuitable applications, and (c) appeal to the widest possible pool of talent.

A job description, pasted onto job boards almost in its entirety by multiple agencies, won't do your employment brand any favours. Think carefully. Choose wisely.

#2?????????When you take a role to the market - are you fishing in exactly the same pond as everyone else or are you exploring all available options? Not everyone sits on Linkedin all day - or even logs in that frequently. Often, the very best talent is too busy doing good stuff in their current role to be using social media extensively. Academic collaborations, Community activities, alumni groups and referral networks can often yield very positive results. Learn to adopt a multi-channel approach to talent attraction - different strokes for different folks!

#1?????????When you take a role to the market - have you carried out a 100%, thorough, deep-dive Job Analysis before (a) writing adverts and marketing the role and/or (b) engaging a third party to recruit on your behalf? Is the role signed off? (and by that I mean agreed by all key stakeholders), is the job description completely accurate for the role, and does the role profile/advert reflect exactly what you require to hire? There are few scenarios that will damage your Employment Brand more than telling folks that have put time into research and selection "Sorry, the shape of the role has changed" or "We've decided we don't need to hire someone now" or "We've just been informed that budget for this role hasn't had final approval"