Talent Function

Featuring guest blogger Marvin Smith, senior Research recruiter at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Metrics can be powerful when coupled with the right imagination and vision. Billy Beane’s story, Moneyball, teaches us that when there is too much information – no sport has more data than baseball – it is time to rethink what and how we measure success. Success in baseball is winning; success in sourcing and recruiting is hiring. And like the journey to winning in baseball, the path to hiring as viewed through the eyes of data will help us determine what activities lead to success.

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Featuring guest blogger Marvin Smith, senior Research recruiter at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

According to BtoB magazine, only 10 percent of website visitors or searchers are ready to engage, make a purchase decision or opt-in right away; but over the course of the subsequent 12 months, with the right value-added communication, that number skyrockets to 87 percent. At Microsoft, we’ve experienced similar results, which is why Moneyball Sourcing Lesson 3 reiterates the importance and benefits of candidate relationship management (CRM). Read more »

Featuring guest blogger Marvin Smith, senior Research recruiter at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

We’ve learned our first Moneyball lesson: conventional wisdom isn’t always relevant wisdom. Now that you’ve deconstructed what you thought you knew about effective sourcing methods and understand why candidate relationship management isn’t going anywhere, it’s time to understand how you can ditch a “gut feeling” approach to making HR decisions and swap it for a data driven one. Read more »

Featuring guest blogger Marvin Smith, senior Research recruiter at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

By now, most of us know that Moneyball offers much insight for employers on the value of analytics when recruiting. The best-selling book, and now popular film, details Billy Beane’s successful attempt at building a baseball club on a budget, and shares how the Oakland A’s general manager employed computer-generated data analysis to draft a winning team. But before employers can begin to transform their practices and reap the benefits of sabermetrics for HR, they’ll need to match their beliefs with current recruiting realities. Read more »

A constant state of extremes

We arrived in Delhi, India early Thursday morning. It has been almost 5 years to the day since my last trip to India with a client. Both trips similar in nature (global recruiting process alignment and recruiting technology implementation) the location are different and the clients different. Read more »

Customer Expectations Define the Experience

On our last day of meetings in Hong Kong we were able to take the afternoon to do some shopping before heading to the airport en route to Delhi, India. We were the most excited to go to one of the market’s areas known as Jardine’s Crescent. We talked to several local contacts, as well as former travelers to the region and area on what to expect. Everyone told us to anticipate tight quarters, crowed booths, and plenty of bargains. We were also told expect to bargain. Some suggested that we bargain aggressively because it was considered a sign of ignorance if you didn’t. Read more »

Scaffolding – What type of Recruiting Technology do you have?

While traveling with a client in Hong Kong this week, I found myself fascinated not only with the culture, the architecture, and the rich history, but with the scaffolding of all things.As newer buildings were being erected and other buildings being modified or maintained, the one thing that was consistent was the scaffolding, to which the workers are entrusting their lives . The material uses for the scaffolding wasn’t steel, bricks, or even concrete. It was bamboo. Read more »

1. We’re in an era of refinement. At this year’s HR Technology Conference & Expo, we saw a clear focus on impressive mobile apps, (now mainstream) social media and video-based solutions, and solution integration; but, in the midst of all the “new, new, new” there was very little “big, different, surprising.” Read more »

The most recent ERE was fantastic and inspiring as ever. We love it when our clients are successful. This video is worth that watch. It discusses PepsiCo’s talent acquisition transformation. PepsiCo is now in the vanguard of global talent acquisition. Go PepsiCo!

Watch the slideshare presentation here...

Listen at 39:20 to hear Talent Function mentioned…

We’ve all seen the reports and data: though unemployment is high, it’s now more challenging than ever for recruiters to find qualified talent. As competition for top talent grows fiercer, recruiters invest more and more time reviewing, screening and interviewing to identify those individuals with the right mix of qualifications, soft skills and cultural fit to fill open requisitions. The process is time-consuming, and at times yields insufficient results. And so, interview management (covered recently in Recruiting Trends by yours truly) and candidate relationship management are born.

Taking a sales-based approach to recruiting, companies can standardize and stand out during the interview process – from the first point of contact, to extending a job offer – to identify the right candidates and deliver an experience that better resonates with those individuals. Employers have the opportunity to take interview strategy beyond describing the position for more targeted employment branding and candidate attention. Filling in gaps in hiring managers’ interviewing and selling skills, businesses that take advantage of a strategic approach can provide a competitive edge and an experience that will make the right candidate want the job.

Consider physical elements. What would a candidate encounter that might make them drop out or decline an offer? From providing stellar travel accommodations to making sure directions are clear, carefully consider all the details and design the experience that best meets a candidate’s expectations.

Provide detailed and personalized information. Ask questions that demonstrate your company cares about the candidate’s priorities and path. Help your brand to stand out from competitors’ by personalizing content about your company and selling candidates on how the job and organization meet their unique needs.

Implement technologies that enhance communication and add convenience. From iPad applications that deliver customized company, culture, job and role information to digital interviews, and mobile solutions that help communicate information and collect feedback from candidates, technology is available to help streamline the process and nurture qualified talent.

There are also many solutions on the market that aid businesses in interview process management. Look for those that support recruiters and hiring managers in collecting information, but more importantly, provide the tools for collaboration and informed decision-making.

Recruiting has evolved: understand what qualified candidates seek and sell them on the experience and career opportunities your organization has to offer. You can hear from those companies who do it best during The Talent Board’s First Candidate Experience (C&E) Awards, which recognize organizations that deliver outstanding candidate experiences. Winners will be honored on Tuesday, Oct. 4 during an awards ceremony at 11:00 a.m. PT, and a special reception at 5:30 p.m. PT in during the HR Technology Conference & Expo in Las Vegas.