Recently there was a Talent Acquisition Forum in Sydney, where leading employers from across Australia discussed some of the challenges faced by their Talent Acquisition (TA) teams. They spoke about what’s going to be needed by 2020 and where HR services will need a shift in thinking and services.
I picked up on some of the common themes on what is a dynamic and fascinating topic. Below are my top 5 challenges that I and many other leaders see for Talent Acquisition Next Generation.
Many organisation processes are failing in terms of the experience their candidates encounter, right from application stage. The problems range from a poorly written advertisement with little information on the role or company, through to unnecessary forms and questions, no feedback, a lengthy process or just treating candidates poorly with a lack of respect for those being rejected (often no correspondence at all). Overall, this makes for a highly unprofessional approach and leaves candidates with a “bad taste in the mouth”.
With the rise of new technology, and customer (candidate) expectation there is a greater need than ever before to innovate and keep innovating. TA leaders need to keep ahead in terms of automation, new tools and technology and will need to be constantly evolving adapting, flexing and improving.
Just putting in a new ATS (Applicant Tracking System) does not cut it any more. It will soon be out of date. Innovation must be a continuous process, as will the HR technology reviews and upgrades. These will play a much greater part than before in the HR tool kit.
Talent Acquisition practitioners will need to take a more consultative approach with their clients (hiring managers) and have the ability to influence key stakeholders and deliver strong business outcomes through effective TA. They will succeed in this by adopting a people centric, customer focused approach, building their services less around just the process or ATS itself, and more around the experience of the hiring manager and the business needs.
I call this the Recruitment Value Chain and organisations will need to map out their recruitment processes and see where (or where not) they currently add value in the chain for participants. If no value is being added – stop doing it! Perhaps consider where or how you could give greater benefit to your customers (hiring managers and candidates) at each step of the process so they truly value the service being provided.
It’s been said for a long time now but the “War for Talent” is here and organisations will need to spend a lot more time and money on social media, employer branding and attraction techniques to attract and secure the best in the market place; to beat their competitors in business. Gone are the days of passive recruitment, sticking an advertisement on a job board and hoping for the best. The spray and pray approach doesn’t work anymore. Organisations need to be strategic with their advertising and messages. Key interchanges between HR and Marketing departments will appear. HR departments will start to employ social media and branding experts for such functions as candidate sourcing and attraction pipelines.
Finally, it’s time to start working with each other. Recognise that together we are stronger and between us we have more knowledge, resources and influence than working alone. TA as an industry needs to highlight the professionalism of the industry and the value that TA functions add to the organisation. Become a critical organisation function and strategic enabler. Measure and present both the strategic and the bottom line on ROI on recruitment. Show the impact of strong TA capability by using better metrics and measurements. Reposition yourself as a business enabler, rather than a cost centre or service provider and taking pride in our expertise and market insights.
Hill Consulting HRS is a unique HR advisory consultancy specialising in Talent Acquisition (TA) process improvement and reviews. Assisting large companies – typically over 1000 employees – with their recruitment practices, TA strategy and HR automation, we work at the junction where HR meets technology.
We will help your organisations move from “good to great” recruitment by improving TA practices, adding value not only for hiring managers and existing employees, but also for new employees and candidates who feel engaged throughout the process. A bespoke diagnostic tool is used to thoroughly assess and review your business’s current HR practices, looking at your people, processes and technology gaps. We then provide detailed recommendations, including an action plan and road map for change for 2020. Ultimately this improves the time, cost and quality of your TA.
Hill Consulting understands the market place, best practices, your needs and budget and the different HR IT vendors out there. We believe that once you assess where you are in your TA evolution, you can then automate the mundane and focus on the ‘people elements’. Then HR is able to add true value to your business20 FEBRUARY 2019
