Employing people with superior skills is one of the few means for an organisation to achieve a competitive edge over its competitors. The late Steve Job, the iconic leader of Apple, once said, “Talent matters: Go after the cream of the cream. A small team of A-plus players can run circles around a giant team of B and C grade players”.
The importance of developing a supply chain for the sourcing and delivery of commodities is well accepted practice in business, but the adoption of a similar process for hiring and training is not nearly as widely accepted. For decades, many companies have adopted a short-term, ad-hoc approach to talent management. It is still common practice in many organisations to wait for a vacancy to occur and then to rely on the spot market to find a replacement. This is in no way an effective strategy to hire the best person for the job at hand.
More companies are now starting to realise that managing the flow of skilled workers into the market is a multi-step process that requires careful orchestration and planning. Such strategies, which can, for example include graduate programs, training programs, hiring in-house Talent Acquisition Specialists, and developing of proactive social media campaigns designed to engage with potential sources of talent, come at significant cost. Multi-faceted and expensive talent management processes can be readily justified in large companies and can bring a large proportion of the recruitment process in-house. But what about small to medium sized enterprises whose hiring requirements are far less frequent and which cannot justify the considerable resources required to run Talent Acquisition Programs?
For smaller organisations there is a solution in the form of outsourcing their talent management requirements by partnering with providers who specialise in engagement with the talent pool that a company wishes to draw from.
Tips For the Selection of a Recruitment Specialist
- Explore job boards and websites of recruitment companies who are specialists in the sector or sectors that employ the skills that you are seeking to attract.
- Compare the relative strength of providers’ brands. When were they established and how widely recognised is their brand.
- In recent years, social media has emerged as a major means of communication with prospective candidates. Select a provider who can demonstrate a large following on social media. Evaluate and rate prospective suppliers on their ability to communicate. Do they have a blog or issue newsletters on subjects which are relevant to candidates or employers, to facilitate engagement?
- Enquire what a company’s recruitment process is. The best recruiters will employ all means at their disposal to identify and attract candidates. Particularly important is their ability to identify and approach passive candidates (i.e. those who are not active job seekers but who will consider an opportunity if it is presented to them.
When selecting a recruiter, sound research and an informed comparison of providers will yield dividends in the quality of candidates sourced.
Ready to enhance your talent acquisition strategy? Contact Agricultural Appointments today to discuss how we can support your hiring needs and help you build a pipeline of exceptional candidates. Let’s turn your talent management challenges into opportunities for growth.
