How Talent Experiences both Employee and Employer

A good friend of mine owns a agency company and, thanks to great leadership and a happy stable of clients, business is good. So much so that it’s time to grow the team, so he’s right in the thick of the candidate review process. We were trading insights on the matter via social media and Tweeted a comment about how the resumes of people who start a new job “every year or so” raises a bit of a red flag. He went on to make the point that, after a few months of on-boarding and training, an employee is just starting to hit their stride and it can be very costly if they leave shortly thereafter. Never a great experience for either party – employee or employer.

As a Recruiter, I agree with their assessment. Bringing on new employees and moving them from “new hire” to “productive team member” in the most efficient way possible is a high-stakes game. Do it right and you’re on your way to having the next rock star member of your team. Make some missteps and you could be creating the next ex-employee.

Recruiters, HR pros, and the hiring managers they support all carefully vet candidates for skills, aptitude, experience, cultural fit, and any number of other dimensions. Today more than ever, however, savvy candidates are likely going through the same calculus when determining where they want to build a career: searching review sites, networking with peers via social media, checking out the company’s “digital footprint” across the internet.

There’s no shortage of intel that can be gathered by employee and employer alike, so for the most part, each party is going into this working relationship with eyes wide open. But once an individual crosses the threshold from candidate to employee, the ongoing “talent experience” you deliver will either keep that worker fired-up about the role or motivate them to start looking for a “Plan B.”

Although every business is unique, when it comes to creating a positive and productive environment for employees, there are some common threads:

• Providing a smooth onboarding process helps employees to become more grounded in the organization and become more deeply rooted in the culture
• Delivering a platform for communication and collaboration helps new employees to build (and strengthen) internal relationships and develop their own network of peers and mentors
• Clarifying how employees will be measured and how their contributions tie to overall organizational goals ensures they understand the vital role they play on the team and what they need to do to succeed
• Ensuring that learning and coaching activities are continuous allows employees to know where they are on their career path and provide the support they need to hone their skills and prepare for the next step
• Providing clear and concise insight into your organization’s compensation practices and policies, and tying compensation to performance, significantly reduces the chance for surprises or disappointment when wage reviews or bonuses are discussed

Creating a positive work environment should always be a goal, but as the economy continues to improve and as the labor market continues to put candidates squarely in the driver’s seat, it’s more important than ever for employers to hold up their end of the bargain.