Showcasing Your Talent Management Practices
It makes sense to take the time to carefully engage with candidates to avoid losing top candidates or, even worse, hire someone who turns out to be a bad fit for your organization. Here are a few things to keep in mind during the selection process :
Keep to the job description
Good recruiting begins with having a clear profile of the competencies needed for success in the open position. This means looking towards the future and creating a job description that aligns to the needs of the organization, both now and into the future.
When you have an effective job description, you can use it to create your job postings to help attract and screen applicants against the competencies needs to be successful in job.
As well, including behavioral competencies in the job description helps to ensure you are hiring for cultural fit. For example, if exceptional customer service is a core value in your organization you will want to hire people who can demonstrate that competency.
You may ask questions during the interview process that asks the candidate to explain what exceptional customer service means to them, when have they provided exceptional customer experience, their experience in discovering/meeting client needs, etc.
Selection works both ways
Remember that while you are sizing up the candidates, they are sizing up your company to determine whether this is a place they will thrive. This reciprocal evaluation is a good thing. Resist the temptation to set unrealistic expectations about the organizational culture or working conditions. If the chemistry between candidate and company is not going to work, it is far better to find out before the candidate becomes an employee. Conversely, you don’t want to lose a top candidate who would be a good fit because of lack of attention to showcasing the organization.
Showcase talent management practices
Encourage high potential candidates to talk about what they want from their next company, what is most important to them and their expectations for the future.
Every candidate is unique, but research consistently shows that high potential workers are most interested in working for an organization that will help them succeed in their career aspirations. If your organization has a strong employee development program, now is the time to talk about it. Discuss the potential career path for the position without setting unrealistic expectations. Explain how positions are filled and how internal candidates are evaluated for potential promotions.
Link to the bigger picture
Most people want to be a part of something larger than themselves and to know that their work makes a difference. Show candidates how their potential role supports the larger organization. Explain how individual performance goals are set and how they link to departmental goals and ultimately, company strategy.
This is also a good time to show off any corporate responsibility programs you might have such as community involvement, environmental practices or community support.
Management practices
Top candidates want to know how they will be managed and evaluated. Describe organizational performance management practices as well as how decisions are typically made, work is assigned and the personal management style of the boss. Invite candidates to explain how they prefer to be managed.
This goes back to my point about hiring for cultural fit. You need to ensure that both manager and the candidate can work together and that working styles and align to the culture of the organization.
Peer interviews
One way to help candidates get a good idea of what it would be like to work in your organization is to have them meet with one or more potential peers, perhaps in a lower-key setting such as over lunch in the company cafeteria. Choose peers who are successful and ask them to describe “how things are done around here.”
Give them permission to be open about the stresses and issues as well as the good points in order to provide a well-rounded, realistic view of the company and its culture. Ask the peer interviewers to share how they came into their position, where it fits in their career paths and how management has supported their development.
Selecting top quality future employees is a balancing act
Attract the interest of top quality candidates by showcasing your good talent management practices. At the same time, provide the opportunity for them to get a realistic, transparent view of your company culture as you are getting a realistic, deep understanding of their career aspirations and personality along with their competencies.
That way you can both be better assured that your new hires will thrive, do their best work and live up to their potential.