War for Talent – a Contrarian Opinion

Is there a war for talent? Whether your answer is in the affirmative or negative, or you are sitting on the fence, you are right ??as I fervently believe that it stems from your mindset. There is no dearth of talent in India, considering our demographics, and the expression ‘war for talent’ grossly exaggerates reality. If there is a shortage of talent, it applies only to a few industries, and perhaps, only to specific skill sets.

A few questions merit mention - What is top talent? Are they the ones who graduated from the best institutions, with relevant experience, or a combination of both? Does your industry and brand attract top talent? Does your talent strategy call for hiring top talent or the right talent? I refer to ‘right talent’ as those who have the necessary competence and cultural fit and above all, are affordable. You will discover that the word talent is quite subjective.

If you tend to grumble and believe that there is a war for talent, you are likely to:

• Source talent only when there is a requirement.
• Evaluate talent from the same industry, who you believe will fit like a glove and deliver the necessary performance.
• Be rigid and consider only ‘Mr or Ms Perfect’ i.e. a candidate who ticks all if not most of the boxes.
• Be from an organization where only the HR department sources fresh talent.

On the other hand, if you operate from abundance and believe that there is no war for talent, you are likely to:

• Be a talent scout and are constantly looking for new talent irrespective of whether you have vacancies or not. You will look, far and wide, for them during industry conventions, conferences, social functions et al, build a relationship, and pop the question at the appropriate time. This isn’t very different from the dating games one plays.
• Be a risk-taker and evaluate talent from different industries who have the potential to deliver the necessary performance with some training and support. Surely, you are not hung up about ‘experience’.
• Be from an organization where all management committee members (and not just the HR department) believe that they have a responsibility to source talent. The organization has a good referral programme with active participation from the workforce.
• Welcome alumni back to the organization. Hence, you have repeat employees.
• Set up people for success by ensuring a customised onboarding for the new hire based on her qualifications, experience, and talent. This would include a structured functional onboarding and frequent check-ins by the immediate superior during the first six months of service. I have come across leaders who have inducted professionals with no business experience and minimal functional experience and groomed them to perform.
• Invest resources in growing internal talent. In addition, you collaborate with educational institutions to grow talent that meets your future needs.
• Treat your partners like headhunters so well that they have a good understanding of your talent requirements and are willing to go the extra mile to source them. “First-candidate-right” tends to be a norm.

The term ‘war for talent’ is cliched and over-rated. You will find an abundance of talent if you play the role of a talent scout, develop good relationships with your partners, adopt a flexible sourcing strategy, and above all, set up your new hires for success.