Your talent is what makes you, you.
Talent is what differentiates your business from your competitors. Typically, we only start to realize the true value of good talent as soon as it leaves or there is great demand for it, but we don’t have any around. To further complicate the situation, talent is not something we can just ‘make’ like we would any other product. Yet, talent is the most critical asset of a business.
Technology makes talent more important, especially specialized talent.
In today’s digital age, technological advancements occur at an astonishingly fast pace, creating a great demand for individuals with specialization and industry experience. With every change and advancement, new skills and competencies are necessary. And since we cannot just ‘make’ the talent needed to stay competitive, employers must either recruit outside talent or develop the talent from within the organization. Successful businesses will address their talent needs from both angles. Development of good employees is always an important component of any talent management strategy.
Sometimes, you need talent, NOW.
When businesses have immediate needs or require a professional with not only specialized advanced skills, but also specific industry experience and connections, recruiting such individuals can be difficult, even for a corporate human resources team.
Still, many employers resist using an outside party to locate qualified candidates. Most think that, for less money, they can post a job listing ad on one of the big career websites and/or their own website and achieve the same result a third-party recruiter will.
But this is not the way to get talent that will help you out perform your competitors. And talent IS what will make a difference. So how do you get this talent?
Partner with an Expert
Working with outside recruiters is more important today than it has ever been before. Hiring an outside recruiter is not necessary to fill each and every position that is vacant within your organization, but can be an excellent investment to find the top talent that will make a real difference in your organization and help you become successful.
Why?
1. Experience/Expertise
Working with a third party recruiter that specializes in the job function or industry you are seeking will have a huge impact on the quality of candidates. Good recruiters delve into the industries they work and learn the market from top to bottom. They understand who are the big players, who are the up and coming players, how much they are paying their employees, who is laying off employees and who is expanding their employee base.
2. Reach
Recruiters will be able to pull from a much greater pool than internal human resources or hiring managers. This does not mean they will simply post your job opening on more job boards. Recruiters have more resources and are accustomed to using creative ways to find very specific talent. Additional ways recruiters bring in more quality candidates includes:
Good recruiters will have “warm” candidates in the pipeline, something that takes time and delicate attention to maintain.
Good recruiters, especially independent recruiters, will have a network of other recruiters to work with when encountering issues finding the proper talent.
Good recruiters can do “corporate raiding”.
3. Efficiency
By only spending time interviewing already qualified candidates – you eliminate not only the time it takes your personnel to sift through hundreds and potentially thousands of resumes and cover letters, but you also eliminate the time it takes to conduct dozens of phone screens and initial interviews to weed out all but the very best.
4. Confidentiality
Conducting a search for new employees may need to be done confidentially or on the “down-low” for a number of reasons. Advertising or otherwise publicly proclaiming an opening, often creates anxiety and apprehension among the advertiser's current employees who wonder why they aren't being considered or worry about newcomer transition problems. Just as often, it alerts competitors to a current weakness or void within the company.
So the big question is: How do you find a good recruiter?
What are the best ways to find a recruiter who knows your industry and can add all the advantages that were discussed above? Get a referral from a trusted business colleague. Try out a number of recruiters on a contingent basis. Carefully assess if the style and expertise of the recruiter lines up with your needs and requirements.
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