Talent acquisition made easy!! By Darren Saul..

What you have done for the last 10 (or 20) years will not work anymore..

Quality talent is only becoming harder and harder to find. Yes there are always plenty of mediocre candidates – but I’m talking about the true stars – those that you can confidently hang the future of your business on!

And I’m not only referring to technical skills and experience – I’m talking about attitude, ambition, drive, self-motivation, self-development, creativity, inspiration , pride, respect, loyalty, lateral thinking and team-playing. 

Now that’s quite a shopping list..how do you find them?

Don’t think how it’s always been done – think how it needs to be done now and in the future!

• Social Media is one of the most valuable tools we have today to build a reputation, establish a brand, attract and access a target audience. A sophisticated and integrated social media recruitment strategy is not optional – it is imperative! It is also so low cost it’s scary! PLEASE NOTE: along with this comes the need to acquire and exploit the latest in technology (mobile and other) to the best of your ability..

• Build and maintain highly specific candidate networks to further increase your reach and speed – if you go to the supermarket to buy cereal you don’t take a stroll down the frozen section – you go straight to the speciality aisle..

• Candidate Referral Programs – it has always been the case that quality individuals of any kind know and are in constant contact with other quality individuals. Use referral programs extensively to draw those stars to you!  

• Advertising – of course advertising is still extremely useful but it is not enough to hang the future of your business (your people) on anymore. It is now a complement strategy - not THE strategy!

• Momentum! The biggest enthusiasm killer in this business is a lack of momentum ie. a long drawn out recruitment process. I still see this every day. Candidates waiting by the phone while hiring managers take too much time to negotiate their availability for interviews or make decisions. By that time the candidate has lost interest or has simply been offered another job. “Don’t worry – we’ll find another” – better think again..

• Selling! – the balance of power has shifted. Super people have choice and you have to make sure they make it favour of you! You have to sell the role, company, culture, management style, team, career progression path and all the other benefits – otherwise your competition will..

• Personal touch – nowadays (more than ever before) TRUST is king. Building trust with your potential star during the process is fundamental! Trust can only be built personally and this is your opportunity to go way way above and beyond. There are so many ways to do this – I’ll leave that to you to ponder. Example: building strong rapport based on mutual interest during the interview process before getting down to business. One more: for the potential manager to make a call to the chosen candidate (while waiting for a favourable response) to let him/her know how valuable they would be and how much they would love them to accept the role. Simple but very powerful!

Acquiring quality talent is not difficult when you take the time to build a strong, broad and rejection-proof recruitment strategy and process!!  

The 15 most valuable strategies for retaining your key people! By Darren Saul..

The recruitment industry is changing again (surprise, surprise!) and we must change with it. Quality candidates are more savvy, they are not as easily tempted and they are harder and harder to find using traditional methods. A whole new strategy for the acquisition of quality talent based on broad candidate reach is necessary but that is for another day..

RELEVANCE TO YOU: Make sure your people are inspired, proud and excited (not just content) - otherwise your competitors will..

The recruitment process doesn't stop when the candidate is hired. Retaining your key people is just as important (step 2) - otherwise you are back to step 1! More time, energy and money.

Here are in my view the 15 most valuable strategies for retaining your key people!

1. Treat your people better than you treat your customers!! Sounds simple but I interview people all day complaining about exactly the opposite..
2. Delegate wherever possible and empower them to build confidence, develop pride, take ownership and exceed expectations
3. Acknowledge all the great stuff as much as possible - in a genuine way
4. Implement a buddy system to help settle new staff into the new culture
5. Conduct frequent two-way reviews (not too formal) to build rapport and manage expectations 
6. Create a friendly/collaborative/fun atmosphere where people are proud to work - it's called creating a "community"  
7. Invest in training and development - internal and external
8. Understand that everyone's drivers are different and that all can be used favourably with a little creativity
9. Be approachable! Spend some quality time down in the trenches with your troops..
10. EARN respect - don't expect it 
11. Reward them with small treats along the way
12. Choose your battles wisely
13. Pay them well!
14. Keep in regular contact with your chosen recruitment partner to ensure you are across what currently drives quality talent
15. Never think that there isn't any more to learn in this area - the economic and business environment is constantly changing and so are the people within..

Easier said than done to do all this all the time - however if you're not doing it you may risk losing your greatest asset!