The misconstrued Art of “Hiring”!

I take pride in my work…..I really do! That’s because I know I do it well…It’s like that box in the Johari window which is known to me.

I know what I do makes a difference. I am a small part of a large scheme of plans but a very important part at that and I do take pride in this fact and I do everything that is needed to ensure I do my part well so that I continue to make a difference.

Talent Acquisition is no rocket science, but in its true parlance it is no Vanilla ice cream too

It is a role when done in its true spirit involves so many competencies that no other role in Human Resources does:

• Creating an interest about the role and company ( Branding competency)
• Identifying the right talent for hire (Market Mapping/Analysis)
• Selling the role/Offer (Sales/Business Development)
• Making offers as per Parity and Budget (understanding budgets, compensation and Benefits, Understanding Compliance and labour law)
• Maintaining Hiring SLAs (Project Management)

 And I can go on and on…..

 However, many a times I feel most people think Talent Acquisition is only about 

• Sourcing profiles from various job sites…. No that is not what TA is! This is just database hunting. All one needs is an ID/PW of a job site to download profiles that have not been updated for ages.
• Sharing your hiring requirements with hiring agencies….Am sorry. Even this is not TA. That’s mere co-ordination. You are paying someone to do point no. 1 for which the company is already paying you.
• A backend support team who will churn profiles after profiles till you get the right candidate…..This mind-set leads to a lot of wastage of productive time. I meet a lot of my colleagues from the same field whose knowledge of the role they are hiring is just limited to the JD. And I can’t help but wonder…how can you ask someone to hire business guys when the person who is hiring doesn’t understand your business model?
• Connecting with “people” and should enjoy working with them! …. This is the most hilarious one . Many a times when I meet candidates for HR roles, I am told they are “people” person and hence they want to work in HR. Talent Acquisition is not about loving to work with other “people”. One of my wonderful ex boss said, being Business partner means you are more “business” than you are “HR” and hence business word is kept before HR. The same rule applies to Talent Acquisition or any other support function that compliments the core business. You don’t need to like people to be a good recruiter. You just need to know how to professionally work with others to achieve a common objective.

For me Talent Acquisition is so much beyond what is generally perceived. From my point of view, it involves the following (but not limited to):

• Partnering and not Supporting: When you partner in a cause, you think strategically. There is more ownership from your end. For me Talent Acquisition is a very strategic role. My team doesn’t work like a recruitment support team. We work like a recruitment partner…which means I partner with another team to get the best possible outcome keeping mutually acceptable factors into consideration.
•  Business Acumen: I encourage my team to ask relevant business questions….always. And it goes without saying that one can ask questions pertaining to business only when one understands the business. Recruitment professionals need to ensure that they are completely in sync with the business. Their knowledge about a role should not be limited to the job description. Every time I am asked to hire for a new role, the first thing I try to find out is how will this candidate that I am supposed to hire impact the overall business. And once I get this clarity, half of my work is done.
• Cost Optimization: While Human Resources is believe to be a cost center, I sincerely believe Talent Acquisition can impact P&L of a business in more ways than is generally perceived. Recruitment Professional should understand ROI of all factors involved in the hiring function. No other function in human resources can show more tangible results than Talent Acquisition. One of the so many wonderful supervisor that I had worked with had taught me “The basic principal of recruitment is hiring better, cheaper and faster”. This line sums is all. All recruitment professionals should strive to hire better folks by spending lesser in a shorter duration of time than the last person hired. Do note by spending lesser I mean less hiring cost. This should not be confused with less salary. Never short-change an employee. Pay as per performance. Promote as per potential.
•  Understanding Market Dynamics: Any change in market dynamics impacts hiring factors too along with many other changes. Understanding Market Dynamics is very important to make impactful hiring decisions.
•  Data Orientation: I am a big fan a Data because I believe this is the only factor which will help me differentiate what I am doing now from what I will do a year down the line. The power of Data cannot be negated. The amount of insights one can get from past data so that future actions can be manipulated is manifold. Hence, as Talent Acquisition professionals learn to bring out sense from information that you have in hand.
•  Understanding Technology: There is nothing that can remain untouched by Technology. Same rule applies to Talent Acquisition. Recruitment partners need to understand Technology. Automate processes that can be automated. Streamline systems like pre hiring assessments. Do away with processes that doesn’t add any value.
•  Understanding basic of Recruitment: There’s no harm going back to basics once in a while. Understand the employment laws of a particular country. Refresh your formulas for compensation benchmarking and parity. Interviewing is an art…so get yourself certified in this art. Start with basics like Behavioural Event Interviews (BEI).

I have been told that I do not work like a typical recruiter ….and I totally agree. Many a times I see raised eye brows when colleagues find out that I chose to move into Talent Acquisition post being a Business HR for almost five years. I am asked, why would you want to get into something so stressful?……These are times which assures me that while It is fun doing different things… the real fun is in doing mundane things differently and then making a difference.