Talent Engagement Part 2: Winning the Candidate Wars

The year is around 1250 B.C.E and the Greeks are recruiting the best warriors to join them in the Trojan war. The Greek seer Calchas prophesied that Troy wouldn't fall unless the Greeks had two great warriors Achilles and Odysseus, both of whom were not eager to join the war. Odysseus feigned madness to avoid being recruited into the Greek army and Achilles mother Thetis disguised her son as a girl with long hair and flowing robes and sent him to live in the court of Lycomedes.

The wily king of Ithaca - Odysseus, sworn to the Oath of Tyndareus, on account of being a suitor to Helen, joins the greek army after his feigned madness is exposed. He then uses his guile to expose Achilles disguise. Achilles though not bound by the Oath, decides to join the war and achieve glory than lead a dull and long life. The two heroes go on to become the key to the Greek victory in the Trojan war.

After that successful, mythical recruitment story, lets come down to today's recruitment realities. What can companies do differently to ensure that the talent they interview and make offers to have a higher chance of joining. In Talent Engagement Part 1: The mind of the Candidate, I touched upon a number of factors that play on the mind of a candidate (more so of a good candidate) during the recruitment process. Winning the Candidate war is all about getting the mind-share of the candidate and aligning to his or her goals. A cursory search on Candidate Engagement will throw up all the usual strategies - employer value proposition, personalised recruitment processes, transparency, social channels etc etc.

I shall focus on some aspects that are not talked about much:

1. First engage your Employees: Your current employees are your biggest brand ambassadors. You can spot happy employees from afar. They talk about their companies, their benefits, the fun they had with their teams etc. The perception of the prospective employee is built based on how the current employees exhibit their engagement with the company. Once they are sworn to your Oath of Tyndareus, they will help you recruit Achilles.

2. Communicate your identity: Consistently communicate the identity of the company, its values and personality. Make the candidate feel that associating with the company is about sharing similar values, pursuing common goals, growing together. In mythology, the Trojan war becomes the collective identity of all Greeks.

3. Coffee talks and Open Days: Companies hold investor meets, analyst briefings, customer roadshows etc. Rarely do you see a candidate event that is not a interview event. A great way to engage passive candidates is to invite them for Coffee talks and Open Days conducted on a weekend or holiday. Let them come in for a few hours and experience the office, the campus. It may make them want to come there every day. Not every interaction needs to be an interview for a job opportunity.

4. Show real examples: Rather than telling candidates about the great career growth possibilities in the company, show them real examples of employees who have grown on those paths in the organisation. Have their videos, testimonials etc easy to access. For critical roles and senior hirings, have these real individuals interact with the candidate and share their experiences.

5. Ask, don't Assume: Finally, don't assume what excites the candidate that you wish to hire. Ask him or her what he/she is looking for, what their priorities are, what flexibility they require and what will make them happy to join you. Never put an offer without having done this. Odysseus and Achilles join the Greek army for totally different reasons, one being loyal to his oath and the other seeking his personal glory.

They say around 30% of employees who have joined a new company in the last 6 months are already looking out for new jobs. It is also said that the first day on the new job shocks many. So, how do you keep the flock together. I shall share more of my views on that in Talent Engagement Part 3: The Art of Retention

About the Author:

Sidharth is the Business Head of InnoIntel Global. An experienced technology industry professional who specializes in Management Consulting for Business Strategy, New Business Development, Go to market strategies etc.