How to Find the Right People for Your Team

Hiring today is very different than it was just a few years ago. Many companies are struggling with long, costly recruitment processes where they end up compromising on quality and often fail to hire the ideal profile. Even though it may seem so at times, finding the right people is not down to luck. Find out how an effective talent strategy in today’s market focuses on defining needs, optimizing the hiring process, and strengthening your employer image to help your organization stand out and attract the right type of candidates.

1. Define your needs clearly and understand the market

Hiring new personnel is a big investment for any company, but finding the right person for the right job can often be more challenging than anticipated. To have the best shot at success, the first step any organization should take is to clearly define what is wanted, needed and expected from every role. Allocating time and reflection to create a comprehensive picture of what is needed should be a high priority, as it will bring clarity to the hiring process and help you hire people that are a true fit for the role in question and for the company as a whole. 

Once you know what the ideal candidate looks like, it’s crucial to also get a good understanding of the talent market. How is the supply and demand for the profile you’re looking to hire? What is a competitive salary for the role? What other terms or benefits may be critical for a candidate? 

Perhaps you’re hoping to hire the someone with considerable experience but don’t have the budget for it - how to approach and balance that? 

Clearly understanding the company’s priorities and knowing the market will take you towards hiring the right person and setting realistic expectations for both yourself and the candidate. At Grow HR, we include many additional steps in our methods. We identify the need, manage expectations and figure out what is most important. However, number one is always starting from the core need, ensuring that it’s rooted in the market. Having well defined needs and search strategy is key for success. 

2. Manage the process - It's not just about the big data, but small data 

Big data has been a buzzword in many industries for some time now, and just like elsewhere, it continues to steer strategies and decision making in the HR and talent acquisition field as well. But sometimes big data is just that - big, even too big for us to extract information on a more local and specific level. That’s when we start looking at small data. 

But what is small data? 

Allen Bonde, one of the earliest users of the term, defrighgines small data as “connecting people with timely, meaningful insights (derived from big data and/or “local” sources), organized and packaged – often visually – to be accessible, understandable, and actionable for everyday tasks."

We are constantly extracting small data that helps us define patterns and see problems that require new solutions and pushes us to work differently. 

For example, let’s say that there is a big drop off in candidates after you’ve sent out a full job description on email, compared to the interest received for the same position after only a brief initial introduction of the job opportunity. Based on this actionable information, you’d want to take a look at what might have been wrong with the email. Perhaps you didn’t describe the company or/and role properly. Or maybe your local target audience isn’t the right one? 

Small data helps us identify bottlenecks and pitfalls to ensure clarity and speed within the hiring process. 

3. Employer branding - Be proactive and build a winning company culture

In today’s digital and highly competitive job market, employer branding is one of the most important elements in attracting, hiring and retaining great talent. Through employer branding, you have the chance to show potential candidates why they should work for you and what sets your company apart from others. 

But how can you build a powerful employer brand that reflects your organization’s mission, culture and values, while attracting the right candidates? 

It all starts with understanding your brand and creating an authentic message and tone around it. The brand voice should be consistent throughout all communications and touch-points, allowing potential employees to get a clear idea of what it would be like to work for you. 

Fostering a top-tier culture and experience for existing employees is also key. Happy employees, who are proud to be part of your company will do highly effective marketing for you - without you even asking! Empower your employees to communicate about working for your company, and get everyone on board who can boost your employer brand. 

Building a nurturing, positive culture is the root of a strong employer brand, especially with more and more candidates prioritizing culture fit and the right business environment over monetary compensation.