Talent acquisition Vs. Customer engagement
Having spent most of my career of 20 years identifying and winningcustomers, I see the process of recruiting talent into the company in asimilar light. Let us analyze the process of winning the rightcustomers for a product or services company. First, the marketing teamBUILDS a BRAND for the target audience. Then, the sales team is taskedto identify all the potential customers interested in the product byFILLing a sales funnel. It is then the function of the management teamto SELECT the customers who could provide the maximum return for thetime and effort invested (ROI- Return On Investment) by the company.With a short list of targeted high ROI customers, the entire teamrallies behind the sales team to CLOSE the deal. Let us analyze thesimilarities between winning customers and the process of a successfulrecruiting process in a company.
BUILD A BRAND: It is importantfor any company that plans to build a mid to large sized team to focuson building a brand of itself in the job marketplace. The objective isto conjure a very positive image of the company in the heads of jobseekers. The effort must result in job seekers wanting to work in thecompany. Google, Goldman Sachs and Mckinsey are prime examples ofcompanies that have built a solid brand in their respective markets.The focus for any branding campaign is to communicate effectively theculture of the company and the quality of work for wholesomedevelopment.
FILL THE FUNNEL: Once a brand is successfullyestablished over time, the company should have no problems receiving aconstant flow of resumes. However, when the company has not built astrategic brand, the HR team is forced to expend a ton of energy infilling the funnel. Using the current employee network is a good sourceof qualified resumes to the company. Remember, employees will neverrecommend someone who'll pull the company down.
SELECT A FEW:This is probably the toughest of all steps in the recruiting process.In countries such as India and China, where the ratio of incomingresumes to number of positions open could be in the thousands, it iscritical for the company to identify sources of talent with the bestROI. Utilizing personal networks of current employees and alumni,employees of competitors, personnel from companies of similar knowledgebase and top notch schools and their alumni are some of the channelsthat come to mind. Effective utilization of social networks such asLinkedIn and Facebook can be also prove useful in the search forqualified candidates. Although, employee references have been used fora couple of decades, I continue to believe that the network is underutilized.
CLOSE THE DEAL: Once a few have been selected with amatch to the culture of the organization and the skills needed to getthe job done, it is of utmost importance to close the deal. Most of thedeals I have closed had nothing to do with the $$$$$. Potentialemployees are excited about the prospects of working with employees whoare having fun and are learning every day. I remember one of mymanagers telling me during an interview that the opportunity will helpbuild on my resume. At the end of the day, if you make the connectionand you see the value in the candidate, find a place in the company.Solid candidates whose values match with the culture of the company arehard to come. Pick them up. Train them. Keep them.
BUILD A BRAND: It is importantfor any company that plans to build a mid to large sized team to focuson building a brand of itself in the job marketplace. The objective isto conjure a very positive image of the company in the heads of jobseekers. The effort must result in job seekers wanting to work in thecompany. Google, Goldman Sachs and Mckinsey are prime examples ofcompanies that have built a solid brand in their respective markets.The focus for any branding campaign is to communicate effectively theculture of the company and the quality of work for wholesomedevelopment.
FILL THE FUNNEL: Once a brand is successfullyestablished over time, the company should have no problems receiving aconstant flow of resumes. However, when the company has not built astrategic brand, the HR team is forced to expend a ton of energy infilling the funnel. Using the current employee network is a good sourceof qualified resumes to the company. Remember, employees will neverrecommend someone who'll pull the company down.
SELECT A FEW:This is probably the toughest of all steps in the recruiting process.In countries such as India and China, where the ratio of incomingresumes to number of positions open could be in the thousands, it iscritical for the company to identify sources of talent with the bestROI. Utilizing personal networks of current employees and alumni,employees of competitors, personnel from companies of similar knowledgebase and top notch schools and their alumni are some of the channelsthat come to mind. Effective utilization of social networks such asLinkedIn and Facebook can be also prove useful in the search forqualified candidates. Although, employee references have been used fora couple of decades, I continue to believe that the network is underutilized.
CLOSE THE DEAL: Once a few have been selected with amatch to the culture of the organization and the skills needed to getthe job done, it is of utmost importance to close the deal. Most of thedeals I have closed had nothing to do with the $$$$$. Potentialemployees are excited about the prospects of working with employees whoare having fun and are learning every day. I remember one of mymanagers telling me during an interview that the opportunity will helpbuild on my resume. At the end of the day, if you make the connectionand you see the value in the candidate, find a place in the company.Solid candidates whose values match with the culture of the company arehard to come. Pick them up. Train them. Keep them.
|
|
