James Purvis, CERN, on human resources at the world-famous nuclear physics lab
This is the second interview in a two-part series – the first looked at talent acquisition at CERN. 1) Tell us a little about the structure of the HR function at CERN e.g. is there a strategic business partnering focus? Is there a VP that sits on the board? Our HR department has a frontline […]
Can we assign a credible value to talent?
Organisational leaders routinely tell us that talent is a firm’s most important resource. This may very well be true, but there is no universally agreed-upon method to place a valuation on talent. Over many decades there have been numerous approaches designed to value human capital – each approach may be reasonable, depending on what assumptions […]
James Purvis, CERN, on creating amazing teams to discover amazing particles
How does recruitment work at the world’s most famous particle physics laboratory? 1) Does the recruitment and talent identification process change when you are recruiting for extremely high-profile projects e.g. the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)? James Purvis in 15 seconds James Purvis is Head of Talent Acquisition at CERN. He is fully responsible for all […]
The untapped end of the talent pipeline
A majority of organisations in the UK are now concerned about their ability to fill critical leadership roles, with only 14% confident about their available talent pipelines. It is now time for employers to explore new talent pools and to make the most of what the country has to offer. Hidden talent pool What is […]
The professionalisation challenge of the fashion and luxury industry
The fashion and luxury sector is facing rapid business change and people are at the heart of this revolution. It is widely accepted that companies with well-organised management structures and talent management practices are gaining the competitive advantage. Yet, within this sector, there is still a significant challenge in finding the right people with the […]
Why you need to treat your people as mini organisations
People as mini organisations Achieving business success can never be described as a chance occurrence. Organisations have to work hard to succeed. They exist and, importantly, thrive when they have identified their unique selling points (USPs) and, as a general rule, invested in making those USPs outstanding by maximising their potential. It is that USP […]
Talk to your talent today about their tomorrow
Growing economies create more job opportunities. Your talent will be feeling more confident, and more focused on their development than ever, so if you’re not actively engaging with them about the ways they can develop their career with you, then someone else soon will. This is particularly true when it comes to your Generation Y […]
Time for a rethink of what we mean by talent?
Talent is arguably one of the most imprecise concepts in management-speak. When I ask a group of HR professionals and/or line managers to expand on what they mean by talent, it’s common to receive at least a dozen different responses. For example, they may refer to: A specific skill or aptitude Someone who demonstrates high […]
The new HR challenge: Retaining talent in a recovering job market
It has been 15 years since Gallup’s renowned research study sparked the notion that ‘people leave their manager, not their organisation’. Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman popularised this concept in their 1999 book First, Break All The Rules[1]. But is it still true? Hay Group[2] has warned that today’s organisations face the threat of a […]
Talent Mobility – developing your talent
In the third of a four-part series on talent mobility, Matt Russell, Head of Talent at Lee Hecht Harrison, explores a critical phase in the talent mobility process – the importance of ‘development’ and, more specifically, developing your employees and leaders to achieve greater levels of success. Read part one and part two of the […]
Employers urged to recruit direct from business schools
Employers are not offering enough work experience placements to business school students, despite the fact that the majority are looking for ‘business-ready’ graduates, a new report has found. Just 22% of employers currently offer work placements or internships to business school students, yet 89% agreed that including work experience within business courses makes students more […]
Talent mobility – understanding your talent
In the second part of a four-part series looking at talent mobility, Matt Russell, Head of Talent Development at Lee Hecht Harrison, explores the importance of ‘understanding’ the talent in your organisation and making sure leaders are made aware of their role and accountabilities for being effective mobilisers. Read part one of this series, "Talent […]
Talent pools: a secret society?
When somebody is told they are in a talent pool they are likely to feel positive, motivated and valued by their organisation. But knowing you are in a talent pool can raise some difficult issues too. Should you or shouldn’t you tell your colleagues? How are they going to feel about this news if a), […]
Book Review: Strategic Talent Development by Janice Caplan
Title: Strategic Talent ManagementAuthors: Janice CaplanISBN: 978-0749469368Reviewer: David Evans, Burn Bridge Associates Books on talent and people development are – for me – always likely to please, simply because of the importance of the subject. We should all be interested in personal development, shouldn’t we?! “Practical and grounded in delivery.” This book is therefore the latest in a […]
Case study: how to assess emerging talent
The company and the challenge JT (formerly Jersey Telecom) is halfway through a five-year growth strategy, initiated in 2011 to transform the Group into a global communications business. Already, JT has nearly doubled its value after expanding its global reach, introducing new services, undertaking strategic acquisitions and creating new global partnerships. However, while rapid growth […]
Interview: Susanne Given, Chief Operating Officer, SuperGroup
What does a typical day look like? I work in Europe, the States and the Far East and so work across a range of different time zones. When I’m in the UK I’m office based. I start work around 8am and work through to 7.30pm. It’s been two years of investment and change. I look […]
Social recruitment to find top talent
The upsurge in social media use continues to promote the growth of online communities around the world. For businesses today, the expanding role that these channels play in peoples’ daily lives has made them increasingly attractive talent harvesting tools. We spend more time than ever on social networks, and forward-thinking businesses looking to capitalise on […]
Talent Identification – a never ending evolution
For the first time in nearly a decade the issues of retention, engagement and attraction of talent will rise to the top of the talent management agenda and unsurprisingly the demands for top quality leadership will feature strongly in the mix. With global economies showing signs of growth, opportunities for employees to move on are […]
Engage and retain staff in 2014 and beyond
It’s a common misconception that an individual’s performance at work is based solely on just their capability. Whilst possessing the right skills and abilities is important, in today’s competitive business world, it is based on so much more than this. The silent threat of ghost turnover The period of economic recession played host to […]
Talent mobility – essential to organisational success
In the first of a four part series of articles, Matt Russell, Head of Talent at Lee Hecht Harrison, introduces his concept of ‘talent mobility’ and the results of an in-depth research programme into the subject and looks in brief at what HR professionals need to do in order to ensure and benefit from talent […]
