Talent Acquisition: Be the life and soul of the party!

WFT ! 'W'AR 'F'or 'T'ALENT:  ‘THE’ #1 issue on the tip of the tongue of every CEO and CxO in the valley and in the world of technology:  ‘THE’ #1 challenge for the future. The function ‘Talent Acquisition’ has been thrust into the limelight and subsequently the focus of attention is very much on ‘YOU & I.’

Are you ready for this level of attention and do you know what to do with it?

‘Yes!’ I hear you answer, punching the air! Then please jump in the line.

‘No’ I hear you whisper!  Please exit quietly.

Because this job is not for the faint hearted, this war tests our creativity and persistence to new heights daily. There's so much choice for top talent now that the challenge should test our every fibre and sinew, so if the very mention of the above predicates a sinking feeling, then run for the hills because: your company needs you on the front line, at the centre of attention and by nature you should be revelling in it.

For those who relish attention: there's never been a better time to shine, or a worse one for those who prefer the sheltered life.

As a full 360° recruiter across several functions or someone who leads a team delivering full 360° recruitment; can you think of anyone who has more interface and touch points than 'you' in the organisation? Yes ! Then you're probably doing something wrong.

Still not sure? We've been testing, assessing, analysing and psychometric-ing people for a long time, maybe a time to look in the mirror and self-assess ourselves. Because right now we should be at the heart of the business and prepared to jump every barrier internal or external in our quest to deliver, our thirst for knowledge and our desire to better should be unabated. 

So, either get out or:

1) Abandon those sheepish ways – Banish that corner location tucked away, and be heard. If you are not seated in a clear focal point in the office plan then relocate your seat. Be loud and proud and get noticed, talk to everyone, because your internal referral capability needs to be a well-oiled machine, and your employee branding and enablement needs to be intuitive and creative. You need to be on everyone’s mind and that means getting noticed and first on that dance floor. This potentially creates friction....work on it. 

2) Wait a minute! I’m not saying strut about all high and mighty as if you own the place: it’s the team that is your channel for delivery, you just have to own it and enable it. Humility, modesty and humbleness need to be interspersed with those funky dance moves.  

3) Be ready to sell! If you don’t think this is a sales job then either you: i) don’t get it. ii) You've got some strange idea of what selling is because: 

We are: Selling to candidates our Jobs, Culture, Strategy, Vision and Value Proposition. If we cannot define these accurately, seek advice! We sell to internal stakeholders our relevance, our processes, our ROI. We 'Sell' to our employees our referral program. We are the ambassadors and often the first face of the business. There is massive sales content in our role both internally and externally. 

4) Fear not! You’re not just a salesperson, you are: Finance; always looking for better rates, always identifying your ROI; Data Admin, your ATS is a waste of money if you do not administer it properly; Quasi HR and Counsellor, I know this strikes a bell in many of you as someone at the beginning of the hiring process to the end you are often seen as the first in line to receive the gripes of new hires: so be ready to counsel.  

5) Working all hours’ god sends, because soon he may not send so many! So make hay—the sun is shining. The market will change and ‘mark my words’ the war for talent will turn into a war for Talent Acquisition survival. The growth of our function has been exponential in the past five years but come the down turn, we will be first in line.  Forgive my apocalyptic tones but come the downturn and the headcount freezes, PS, Finance, Legal, HR, Sales and Support remain mission critical but …. Talent Acquisition! Seriously!  We will go from critical to toast!  Be ready to be ready, and be ready to stand out.  9-5! you’re kidding me right?

Still not sure? Maybe here’s why:  One thing we will be addressing soon is TA perception and our reputation amongst our 'C' suite, stakeholders and peers in our organisations and outside; moreover, how we can change this, this is a T.A.R.T.S grass roots issue which we will discuss in a blog coming soon. Our function is arguably one of the newest, and our profiles and backgrounds are the least defined, adding mystery to our often sometimes slightly misled and confused peers....We are not HR people but a closely aligned splinter group, and a fusion of ex HR and ex 3rd party Recruiters, that has emerged into a mainstream overlay function. The speed of our evolution has meant a struggle to understand, respect and be correctly rewarded. In some cases we are just a great place to point the finger. It’s another challenge we need to meet head on ourselves. 

Ready?  

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