Hiring quality talent has never been more important to an organisation’s success. According to our recent research, nine in ten (89%) business leaders agree that talent is a critical competitive advantage for their firm.
Given that talent acquisition is the strategic battleground in the success of modern businesses, it is essential that leaders are able to see the value in the work that recruiters do.
However, our research also highlighted a worrying disconnect between the expectations of business leaders and the processes and outputs of recruiters. Whilst nine in ten (90%) of respondents agreed that consistently delivering quality hires should be a top priority for the business, only 55% of them rated the performance of their talent acquisition team as effective.
This void must be bridged if the talent acquisition function is to earn trust from business leaders and, ultimately, become a valued asset to the company. Here are my top four tips for making this a reality:
1. Commit to the core
The first step in closing the effectiveness gap is to redress the foundations of recruiting capabilities.
Start by regularly evaluating the skills of your recruiters. 78% of the respondents in the study admitted that evaluation is one area of their recruiting acumen that is seriously lacking, but this is vital to ongoing development and success.
Concentrating on the candidate is another way to strengthen the performance of your team. A first-class recruiting team will not only deliver quality talent, they will deliver a quality experience too, ensuring that the candidate always comes first.
Both of these are supported by investing in your recruiters through dedicated training and development. Less than 30% of respondents surveyed believed they were committing enough resources to ensuring their recruiters are properly equipped. In order for your recruiters to deliver quality hires, it is essential to provide them with ongoing training.
2. Become indispensable
It is important that talent leaders are familiar with the strategic objectives of the businesses they serve, thereby contributing to the overall direction of the company.
Begin by crafting KPIs directly linked to the organisation’s business objectives to ensure your talent acquisition teams become more in-sync with business leaders.
Remember to look externally for best practice too. By benchmarking your performance against competitors’ talent acquisition teams, you can understand the hiring priorities, practices and performance of companies across the market and see how you shape up in comparison. And lean on your external suppliers for their market knowledge.
Our research found that 75% of business leaders rated talent acquisition’s ability to provide strategic thinking as important or very important. So align your talent acquisition team with the wider business to prove their value.
3. Get in the loop
Whilst clear communication may be basic advice, according to our research 70% of leaders said the ability to implement defined standards of service for candidates and hiring managers is less than satisfactory. Key business leaders are out of the loop when it comes to the recruitment strategy and their place within the process.
It may seem simple, but communicate regularly with business unit leaders and C-level executives about your talent strategy and processes. This can go a long way to improve understanding and perceptions of your team’s role and performance.
4. Consistently deliver quality hires
The key measure of success for any talent acquisition team is the quality of candidates they source.
Businesses are often under pressure to fill roles, leading to quick-fire recruitment decisions and, inevitably, poor results. But these hurried hires will cost time and money in the long run and lead nowhere.
Work with business leaders to identify key competencies and requirements to ensure that only the best talent is sourced. Search for quality attributes demonstrated by current employees to ensure that future hires fit the company ethos.
In some cases, talent acquisition teams have already bridged the gap and are meeting or exceeding the expectations of business leaders. This frequently happens when talent leaders have chosen Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO). Our research proved that companies using RPO partners are twice as likely to rate the talent acquisition performance of their business as effective.
By concentrating on the fundamental requirements of their recruiters, understanding the aims of the wider business, communicating effectively and – most importantly – consistently delivering quality hires, talent acquisition teams can demonstrate their true value to business leaders.
