Why and how of hiring
Deepanie PERERA - Business Consultant, Director and Chief Executive
Officer of Target Resource
Business today is going through a ‘war for talent’. And if that was
bad enough news, the war for ‘right talent’ must be even worse. No
doubt, the situation is worsening. Wait, it’s not all gloomy out there.
So how does one win in a battlefield from narrowing resources,
fiercely rising threats from all quarters to delivering on the interests
of the parties concerned? And come out unscathed in different battles
fought, to win the war?
Let us consider the composition of battlefields making up the warfare
that is in focus.
The make-up of battlefields
The business opportunities are emerging and fast evolving. The
position of the customer continues to get better. He is increasingly
informed of the options available, having positioned in a powerful
place.
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Challenging
search for inimitable talent |
Customers are not after products or low costs, but service. An
unmatchable, inimitable service that is far superior to your
competition, a service that is giving you the edge over your rival and a
service that is delivered with passion, absolute passion.
Gone are the days of satisfying the customer, and instead permanently
replacing it with ‘customer delight’ that is here to stay.
Talent - The only differentiator
The shift towards delivering service excellence is a journey, on its’
way, shaping businesses to arrive at an all encompassing competitive
advantage.
As articulately put together by New York Times Thomas Friedman in his
bestseller ‘The World is Flat’, all business has access to all resources
without discrimination. But what would differentiate you keeps you at
the edge, and that is your talent, your people; your people who deliver
lasting customer experiences. It’s only people and people alone, giving
enduring reasons for customers not only to return to you but to make a
concerted choice to remain with your brand.
So, what choices does business have to hire people with such talent?
Challenging search for inimitable talent
Going by the proverbial argument of ‘war for right talent’, pose
incomprehensible challenges for organizations. Talent alone is highly
scarce, making the quest for right talent a daunting effort.
In it, making businesses vulnerable towards the search of right
talent and more importantly, making the ‘hired’ deliver on aspired
business results.
The gap between what our primary and tertiary education systems churn
out, opposed to the need of the market place continues to widen. Many an
eventuality has caused this short supply.
Thanks to the foresight of the current political administration,
there is hope that employable graduates would be produced in the not so
far away future. They must essentially know the basics, meaning what the
text book say and don’t say too, move away from ‘armchair generalship’
and get their hands muddy in business deliverables. Attitude is
everything.
Build ‘never say die’ stamina and nerves of steel that are hard to
copy or imitate by the competition.
Given the current state of affairs, it is not hard to grip the
reasons for unemployment today.
Organizations could hardly hire from those who are jobless, simply
because the majority do not fit the bill. They don’t make up the ‘right
talent’ that is in severe shortage in the market place.
The responsibility to get the right recipe for talent, is
multi-pronged, resting with both employers and employees, supported by
national level needs and initiatives and international level approaches
and wants.
The way to go
Creating a sizeable talent pool under the current circumstances
discussed, needs care in planning, creativity, innovation and
competitiveness in approaching, and moreover, doing the extraordinary to
cap it all.
Should the search begin with search itself?
Yes to searching for a business vision followed by searching for
talent. How would one search for talent, without matching that talent
with the realization of your vision? Don’t bark up the wrong trees. It’s
back to basics.
The end is the vision and the means is the right talent. Easy
conceptually, extremely challenging practically.
Consider these ten practical steps for hiring the right talent and
moreover, proving your approaches to be right.
* Do your math. Work the optimal numbers (cadre) you require to
deliver business results. The numbers in terms of right talent needs. HR
plan is a must have in your business plan and annual budgets.
* Take stock of the current talent pool you have on board, the
competencies - knowledge, skills and attitudes. Inventorise to get ahead
and remain competitive. Identify the talent gaps.
* Target to hire the ‘specialists’ produced for your respective
industry. Do not lose sight of those important ‘generalists’ too, while
you look for specialists. It would be worth a while to consider hiring
from an irrelevant industry or field to introduce newness to business.
Stay creative.
* Don’t chase after experience, but attitudes. Identify the energy
and passion when selecting talent. Your interview is an useful tool
here. Provide modern and creative work options, such as: flexi hours,
virtual work and casual work.
* Remember, the war for right talent is ruthless. Don’t lose right
talent because you are so hung up and reluctant to change with what
today’s employees are really looking for.
* Encourage your current performers to recommend future performers,
through an employee referral system. Remember, no one would want to risk
their reputation by recommending anyone they don’t trust to deliver.
* Stay focused on identifying the service orientation of the
candidate. Remember, that is your only differentiator in our fast paced
business environment.
* Use robust selection tools. Be creative. Don’t forget to
accommodate to your gut too.
* Improve your hiring practices continuously. Review success.
* Benchmark with talent globally and locally. Invest in uplifting the
bench periodically. Commit and develop an obsession towards training and
development.
* Measure performance of your people, as accurately as possible.
Consider incorporation of indicators to HR’s Key Performance Indicators
(KPIs) ie: retention of high performers hired during the last 6-12
months, success of new hires during the past 3 months, etc
Get to the driving seats of your organizations. Manoeuvre towards
business results. The right talent is within your reach.
The author could be reached at [email protected] or
[email protected]
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