Talent Acquisition
The new HR jargon is the way we now refer to recruiting and keeping talent happy and stable in our companies. But has the new jargon changed anything about the way we recruiting and manage talent?
According to an interesting article, High-Impact Talent Acquisition: Key Findings and Maturity Model” published by Bersin by Deloitte in late 2014, only 13% of organizations they studied believe that their talent acquisition functions are fully optimized. The survey evaluated organizations on a scale from not optimized (reactive tactical recruiting) to optimized (fully integrated strategic recruiting).
What does this really mean?
Let’s break Talent Acquisition down and see if we can figure out how to take this from a trendy concept to a useful part of our organizations.
We’ll start by evaluating which level of maturity your organization displays. Then we can figure out what to do about it.
Level 1 Reactive tactical recruiting (35%)
According to Bersin by Deloitte, the largest percentage of organizations surveyed (35%) practice reactive tactical recruiting. Candidates are sourced on an as needed basis, recruiters function as order takers and positions are posted on an as-needed basis with little focus on candidate experience.
They have no plan. They might measure how many jobs they filled last year and maybe even how quickly they filled them. But companies at level 1 typically wait for some sort of notification that a position is open before jumping into action. In this way they are order takers.
Companies at level 1 post positions on web boards and wait to receive resumes. They don’t usually search anywhere for people who might be qualified.
Most HR people we work with at The Interview Doctor probably fall into this category. In fact, I was surprised that this category was not larger. Most HR people we interact with have very few LinkedIn connections so they are not reaching out to find candidates. They hope that the right candidate walks through the door or gets through their applicant tracking software screens. They don’t measure candidates against specific job requirements but often hire the person they want to have a beer with. Does this sound like you?
Level 2 Standardized Operational Recruiting 29%
At Level 2, processes and technology are standardized across the organization. Recruiters have strong relationships with hiring managers and have an effective assessment framework to measure candidates against job requirements. Organizations start to define brand and employee value propositions.
Does this sound like your organization? Most organizations we interact with at SHRM chapter meetings do not understand the concept of employment brand or employee value proposition. Most hiring managers we work with do not understand how to measure candidates against job requirements. In fact, we speak frequently to business groups on this topic in an effort to move the needle.
Level 3 Integrated Talent Acquisition (23%)
According to Bersin by Deloitte, in this level talent acquisition is fully integrated with HR. These organizations have effective social media campaigns and powerful employment brands. They have alumni networks and formalized employee referral programs.
Level 4 Optimized Talent Acquisition (13%)
Finally at this level Talent Acquisition is considered to be a strategic partner within the business. “Strategic partner” is the Holy Grail for an HR pro – many want it but few ever experience this elusive target. A strategic partner not only processes recruiting but anticipates and forecasts needs.
In our experience, we only see Level 3 and Level 4 characteristics among the largest businesses or the rare medium sized organization with an HR leader with experience at larger organizations. Hiring managers love this kind of talent management but complain they seldom receive this kind of support or partnership.
Be honest. Which category reflects your current state? Which category do you want to be in? What are you willing to do to get what you want? Why should we care?