Evergreen Talent
I was meeting with a client who is the CEO of a hospital and he mentioned to me that his new HR Director just filled two key positions that her predecessor was unable to fill. Beginner’s luck? I don’t think so.
There are many reasons why hiring efforts fail. In the interest of time, let me share four, and what can be done to change this.
HR teams that are transactional rather than transformative. At many companies, hiring is a lot like the game of Whack a Mole. HR teams are chipping away every day trying to fill holes that keep appearing. This tactic doesn’t work. But you know that already or you wouldn’t be reading this.
Filling jobs with people who you won’t need to replace ninety days from today requires more than a transaction. It requires a transformative experience. To do this, you’ll need look at the entire process from beginning to end and with a completely different lens—that of the candidate.
Rip Van Winkle approach to hiring. I hear from candidates all the time regarding how long it is taking them to connect with companies that appear on the outside to be hiring. Many great candidates lose interest mid-way through the process. I can’t say I blame them.
Apply for a job with your own company. If you can’t do so in less than twenty minutes, then march down to your HR department and demand they immediately remove the roadblocks that are preventing great candidates from reaching you.
Shouting in the forest. If you’ve been on social sites lately you know how many times a day (or in some cases hourly) you see companies posting these annoying, “We’re hiring!” notices. After a while, no one is paying attention.
Be bold. Do something different. Post a compelling reason why someone would want to apply for the job you are posting. It’s a little more work, but then again, you are looking for results, right?
One-size-fits all employment branding strategies that fit no one. Consumer companies spend billions of dollars on market research so they can reach their target market. Do you even know who your target market is when it comes to attracting the right people for your vacancies? Are you using a one-size-fits all employment branding strategy with the hopes that you’ll capture a few people who happen to be passing by your website at the right moment in time? How’s that working out?
Companies who know their target recruitment market fare much better than those who don’t. Create messaging that appeals specifically to the groups of people you are looking to attract. Keep in mind that this may require more than one recruitment campaign.
