Final Part - Talent acquisition & marketing strategy: An integrated blueprint with technology options

Whenever I met a relative as a child whom I hadn't seen in a while, they'd say, "Oh my, haven't you grown!" And as we reach the fourth and final chapter of this series, I feel as though I have again. Although not in height, width, and deepening of voice, but in terms of this whole experience and how it's refreshed or expanded my knowledge, grown my network, opened doors, and broadened horizons – both for myself and friends who've contacted me along the way – old and new. It's been an absolute blast, and I must give another huge thanks to everyone who's embraced it as I'd always intended. To be a practical resource for anyone that needs a bit of help with their , , and efforts.

Let's see this puppy home.

Overview

In?Part 1?we covered:

• Employer Value Proposition
• Employer Branding & Audience Identification
• Career Site, ATS, and CRM

In?Part 2, we looked at:

• Content Marketing & Social Media

Part 3 touched on:

• Job Advertising & Distribution

And in this 4th?and final?section, we'll conclude on:

• Candidate Assessment
• New Start Onboarding

Candidate Assessment:

So:

1. We've confirmed our company's culture and values;
2. We've validated these to establish our authentic employer value proposition (EVP), which has created clarity on the talent 'give' and the 'get';
3. We've packaged this into a messaging and communications framework that brings to life our 'employee reality' (I'm reluctant to call it 'Brand' anymore following my recent musings on this topic);
4. Our messages, communications, and stories are being brought to life through various types of content, which we now aim at audiences whom we believe will flourish in our environment. And we're doing this across multiple social and advertising channels;
5. Now we've got people queueing at our door. Loads of the little blighters!

The problem of quantity has been replaced by the need to be able to pinpoint the quality...

Needless to say, there is no silver bullet to the dilemma of identifying and measuring the quality of applications and/or hires. Discussions and debates continue taking place in TA circles, as they have done since day dot, and as I'm sure they'll continue to do so for many years.

The tools and techniques out there to help improve the chances of separating the wheat from the chaff are vast and, if applied, need balance. On one side, you want to ensure compatibility between the needs of a role and the abilities of the person applying for it. Getting it wrong can be extremely painful for everyone. Financially, psychologically, and otherwise. But being too stringent, with copious amounts of unnecessary stages to an interview process, can be damaging to your employer brand. People understand the need to jump through hoops, but most will only take so much before tapping out with a disgruntled, "sod this for a game of soldiers!"

To ensure the best match between a candidate and a role, it's essential to use a combination of assessment methods, such as interviews, cognitive ability tests, job knowledge tests, personality assessments, and work sample tests. These tools provide valuable insights into a candidate's cognitive abilities, personality traits, values, and job-specific skills, ultimately leading to better hiring decisions and improved job performance. Let's look at some of these in a bit more detail whilst also seeing how they score in terms of being a reliable predictor of someone's ability to do the job you're assessing them for:

• CV / resume: Research (Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. [1998] & Huffcutt, A. I., & Arthur, W. [1994]) has suggested that these are pretty crap predictors of job performance. Where 1 is a perfect predictor, these have a 'validity coefficient' ('reliability score' for those who prefer their terms a little less pretenscious! ??) of less than 0.18. In other words, CVs are pretty useless in assessing a candidate's suitability for a role. But most people reading this probably know that, so let's move on...
• Interviews: There isn't a specific study that confirms the exact point at which the number of interviews in a selection process stops being helpful. However, research (referenced above) has shown that the quality of the interview and the interview structure are more important factors than the number of interviews conducted. Unstructured interviews have a reliability score of c. 0.38, whereas structured interviews are more effective, with a reliability of c. 0.51. Whilst I've said there's no precise point where the value of extra interviews as a predictor of job performance drops, my gut feeling is that if you're at stage 3 - 5+ (depending on role, industry, complexity, and seniority), and they're still going, then there might be an issue within the company you're interviewing with, and your Spidey senses might want to start tingling. Especially if they start asking for DNA swabs and urine samples! It's also at this point where thoughts of 'surely they must know by now?!' can start kicking in. This can begin chipping away at any positive sentiment towards the employer brand that may have been formed to this point. If people do eventually get the job, then you better have a fantastic onboarding process to wipe out this seed of negativity, before it grows into a massive oak.
• Cognitive ability tests: These tests, which measure problem-solving and reasoning skills, are considered to be strong predictors of job performance, with a reliability score of around 0.53.
• Personality assessments: The predictive accuracy of personality assessments can vary based on the specific traits being measured and their relevance to the job. In general, conscientiousness has been found to be a strong predictor of job performance across various occupations, with a prediction reliability of approximately 0.31.
• Job knowledge tests: These assessments are designed to measure a candidate's knowledge in a specific area or field and score 0.48 when it comes to accuracy.
• Work sample tests: These require candidates to perform tasks similar to those they would face in the job and score around 0.54, making them one of the strongest predictors of job performance.

As mentioned earlier, be cautious with the number of stages in your selection process. A combination of a few methods is a better predictor of job success than any single one.

Also, I highly recommend placing any 'deal-breaker' stages further upstream. In a past role, where I was responsible for mid - senior head office 'white collar' hiring, I inherited a setup where candidates went through:

1. A 1-hour recruiter cultural compatibility interview;
2. 1.5-hour recruiter + hiring manager competency / behavioural interview + presentation;
3. 45-minutes verbal / numerical reasoning tests;
4. Department head interview.

The issue was that the test results were a go / no-go point. It didn't make sense to invest hours in interview preparation, attendance, and follow-up only to waste it all if a candidate failed the test. My solution was to introduce an initial 30-minute screening conversation followed by the tests. During the initial screening, we'd cover half of the cultural compatibility aspects and manage expectations regarding the tests, their results, and next steps if successful. Subsequent steps changed to a structured hiring manager + dept head interview + presentation, thus consolidating things whilst maintaining quality of job performance prediction. Additionally, significant costs associated with peoples' time were saved for the business.

There are many candidate assessment tools out there. Below are a handful of the more well-known ones:

• Predictive Index (PI): A behavioral assessment tool that helps companies understand candidates' workplace behavior, motivation, and overall fit for the role by evaluating their personality traits and cognitive abilities. This data-driven approach helps improve the hiring process and ensures better alignment between candidates and job requirements. I have incredibly fond memories of this one and the training /qualification I received from Fiona Brookwell many years ago whilst I ran head office recruitment for Pizza Hut (Hi Fiona! ?? ??). It most definitely helped improve our quality of hire at the time, with many people going on to have incredibly successful career trajectories in the business.
• SHL: One of the more well known ones, which provides a wide range of assessments, including cognitive ability tests, personality questionnaires, and job-specific assessments. Their Talent Central platform allows companies to create tailored assessment solutions, leveraging SHL's extensive library of tests and expert consulting services to optimize the candidate selection process. As above, introducing this during my time at Pizza Hut (their 'Verify' product at the time), in addition to the above PI took our quality of hire to a whole new level as measured by peoples career progress divided by their length of service.
• Thomas International: Offers a variety of assessments, such as aptitude tests, personality tests (e.g., DISC), and emotional intelligence assessments. Their platform, Thomas Perform, enables businesses to measure a candidate's potential and fit for a role based on cognitive ability, personality traits, and emotional intelligence.
• Hogan Assessments: Provides research-backed personality assessments that measure the "bright side" (normal personality), "dark side" (risk factors under stress), and "inside" (values and motivations) of candidates. Their suite of assessments helps companies make informed decisions about potential hires, ensuring a better fit for both the organisation and the individual.
• Pymetrics: Uses neuroscience-based games and AI to assess candidates' cognitive and emotional traits, reducing bias and improving the candidate experience. Their platform creates unique algorithms for each role, ensuring a data-driven and customised approach to candidate assessment.
• Criteria Corp: Offers a comprehensive range of pre-employment tests, including cognitive ability, personality, and skills tests, to help companies identify the best candidates. Their platform, HireSelect, allows businesses to customise tests according to job requirements, ensuring a more accurate evaluation of applicants.

There are so many more, with new platforms seemingly coming onto the market all the time. Each one being more innovative and interactive than the last. If anyone reading this would like to make a recommendation please do so in the comments.

Using a variety of assessments into your end-to-end talent attraction strategy is essential for making more informed hiring decisions and ensuring a better fit between candidates, roles and the culture they'll be performing them in. By leveraging a variety of methods, and understanding their accuracy in predicting candidate quality, you can gain a more comprehensive understanding of each candidate's abilities and potential. This ultimately leads to improved job performance, more satisfied employees, and a more successful TA process, whilst not wasting all the branding and marketing efforts that led the candidates to your door in the first place.

New Starter Onboarding

As I've found with all the steps I've covered across this series, this has the potential to be absolutely ma-hoo-sive. I'll aim to be as high-level as possible whilst still adding some value.

Onboarding is a critical process that should begin as soon as a candidate accepts an offer and ideally extend through their first 30 - 90 days. Potentially longer depending on the role, industry, seniority and other relevant contextual considerations. A well-structured onboarding process helps new employees feel welcomed, informed, engaged, committed and productive in their new roles.

Here are some steps to consider when designing an effective onboarding program:

1. Pre-boarding: Begin the onboarding process before the new employee's first day. If only able to do just the basics, send them essential paperwork, benefits information, and an employee handbook if you have one. Ideally, provide access to any relevant online systems, so they can familiarise themselves with the company culture and expectations. I appreciate this can be difficult if company emails aren't shared prior to day one (usually for security reasons), but the more you can give, whilst avoiding the risk of overwhelming the person, the better.
2. Welcome and orientation: First the obvious. On their first day, and at the very least, welcome new employees with a warm greeting and introduce them to their team members - especially if they didn't meet during the selection process. Give them a tour of the office or virtual workspace and provide an overview of the company's mission, values, and culture, which, if you've done your employer branding and talent marketing correctly, they'll already be very familiar with. Share the organisational structure and discuss how their role fits within the company. Although this will probably be more a case of clarifying and reiterating what you should have already covered during the hiring process. I appreciate this is all a bit 'Billy-basic' but I still hear horror stories of people turning up on day one and their boss unexpectedly isn't there to meet them, their laptop isn't set up, and they're plonked on a random desk with some pamphlets to read whilst people scramble around wondering what the hell to do with this new person they weren't expecting! Having judged the 2022 /23 RAD awards recently, I've seen some fantastic things companies are doing to make people feel welcome from day one, going beyond the dry simple stuff above. Gift boxes full of culturally relevant items were a highlight. For one company, well-being was central to their employee experience, so every new joiner got a box with a pot, soil and seed to plant and nurture, a S.A.D. lamp for darker seasons (which ironically didn't work so made me more stressed! ??), and a set of cards providing daily self-help ideas for two weeks, including mindfulness and basic meditation techniques to try each day. Others have gone more digital, with daily challenges that make some of the 'boring' tasks more engaging, whilst introducing the cool gamification of daily challenges that help people acclimatise to their new surroundings.
3. Training and support: Offer job-specific training and provide access to necessary resources and tools. Assign a mentor or buddy to help the new employee navigate the company culture and answer any questions they may have. Encourage open communication and regular check-ins to ensure they are settling in well.
4. Goal-setting and performance expectations: Within the first week, discuss the new employee's goals and performance expectations with their manager. Establish clear objectives and milestones for their first 30, 60, and 90 days, and provide ongoing feedback and support to help them achieve these goals. There are many studies that show productivity is boosted when there's a clear purpose. The sooner someone knows what theirs is, and how it fits into the bigger picture, the quicker they'll be able to ramp up to full productivity.
5. Team integration: Encourage team-building activities and opportunities for the new employee to connect with their colleagues. Schedule regular team meetings and social events to help them form relationships and feel a sense of belonging. With the dawn of increased remote working this is still possible. Way before COVID, Michelle Kostya gave me one the best onboarding experiences I've ever had. It included many Zoom calls and a fantastically structured Trello board that had everything I needed to feel right at home, even though I was the only UK member of her Canadian-based team. (Hi Michelle, by the way! ?? ??)
6. Regular check-ins and feedback: Schedule regular check-ins during the first 90 days and beyond to address any concerns, provide constructive feedback, and offer support. Ensure that the new employee feels heard and valued, and make any necessary adjustments to their onboarding process based on their feedback. 30, 60 and 90 day check-ins are also a great opportunity to integrate a very simple mechanism that can feed into measuring the usually elusive 'quality of hire' metric, which continues to be a thorn in the side of many Talent Attraction and teams. Although not perfect, these 30 day check-ins can be used to ask the candidate and hiring manager a very simple NPS-like question. For the candidate: "On a scale of 1 - 10, how much does this role align to the expectations set during your hiring process?" For the manager: "On a scale of 1 - 10, how well is the new hire performing based on the expectations set throughout the selection process." As I said, this is far from perfect but it's something. And for many companies it's more than what they have in place to assess this highly sought after measure. Track the response, analyse the deltas and over time, once you've enough data, you'll have your own benchmarks to track against. You'll also be able to spot patterns where things start going wrong or right if results fluctuate drasitcally between the 30 and 90 day check-in.

By following these steps and tailoring the onboarding process to each new employee's unique needs, you can help them transition smoothly into their new role and set them up for long-term success. The great news is that there's a whole host of platforms out there to make this all much more simple, streamlined and interactive. I've already mentioned Trello, which although isn't a specialist onboarding tool can be used very effectively as one. Here's a few others - some of which specialise in the onboarding process whilst others have you covered for the broader HR spectrum - from on- to offboarding and everything in between:

• BambooHR: is known for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive HR features, which include not only onboarding but also applicant tracking, time tracking, and performance management. However, it may not be as customisable as some other platforms, and its pricing can be less transparent compared to competitors. Its key differentiator is that BambooHR offers a well-rounded HR platform that covers multiple aspects of human resources management. Worth considering if your needs go beyond onboarding.
• Talmundo: provides a highly engaging and interactive onboarding experience for new hires, helping them feel connected from day one. As a specialised onboarding solution, it may not offer broader HR functionality like some other platforms. It focuses on creating a personalised and engaging onboarding experience, with interactive features such as gamification and quizzes, setting it apart from other solutions.
• Enboarder: is popular for its personalised and engaging approach to onboarding, with a strong focus on automating administrative tasks and fostering connections with the team. It may not be the most affordable solution for smaller organisations or those with limited budgets. Enboarder is great at creating tailored onboarding experiences that help new hires feel connected to their team from the start, making it a unique offering in the market.
• Sapling (now part of Kallidus) offers a remote-first onboarding solution, making it an excellent choice for organisations with remote or distributed teams. Some users may find its customisation options limited compared to other platforms. It's remote-first focus and integration capabilities with popular HR systems differentiate it from competitors, catering to the needs of companies with dispersed workforces.
• WorkBright is designed with mobile users in mind, making it easy for new hires to complete paperwork, access training materials, and resources from their mobile devices. Its mobile-first focus may mean that the platform lacks some features available in more comprehensive HR solutions. Their mobile-first approach allows new hires to complete onboarding tasks on the go, making it a convenient and accessible option in the onboarding software landscape.

Linking everything back to the subject of employer branding, and to borrow an old saying:

"Reputation - to build one you walk up the stairs. To lose it you fall out the window."

Every single touch-point and experience a person has with you forms their perception of what it's like to work in your organisation. Before we even consider the attraction and hiring process you've got to contend with things outside of TA's control. For example, negative or positive PR, or poor customer product or service experiences. Then you've got every touchpoint across the whole employee journey experience - the content you share to attract people, the job ads they read, the interview process and people they meet, onboarding, time in role - all the way through to exiting and offboarding. I haven't been able to cover everything over this four-part series. And where I have, I appreciate I may of not gone deep enough for some peoples' liking.

If nothing else, I'l leave you with this. Employer brand, talent marketing, acquisition and recruitment can't be silo'd. It's essential we work together, and with with other departments further afield, all towards a common purpose - to attract the best bloody talent we possibly can, and ensure their expereince with us, from candidate to alumni is the absolute best it can be. Those that can provide this, collaboratively across their organisations, will have a significant competative advantage in attracting and retaining the talent so desperately needed for every organisations' continued growth and success.

Before you go, grab your free summary pack below, which complements everything we've covered in this four-part series.

It's been emotional.

You've been a wonderful audience.

Good night.