Ways to Attract and Recruit the Best Employees

There is an old saying, “what got you here won’t get you where you want to go.” Your organization may have some of the best employees – loyal, hardworking, and those that embrace and embody the mission and ideals of the organization.

Most companies are not clear on what they want and what they actually need to move their business forward when looking to hire.

Data-Driven Talent Acquisition Is Not Enough

The implementation of personality and tests and the overuse of ATS software, also known as applicant tracking systems, has made the hiring process more cumbersome and dysfunctional.

Recently, there was an article published in Forbes stating that in 2019 and going forward, for companies to attract and retain the best employees, they needed to have data on the candidates.

Data is not the problem. And data will not solve the problem, at least as far as the recommendations of that article. Knowing everything about a potential candidate, from their work history to their skills and expertise, and how they work with people, is not going to help your business.

Hiring someone whose resume hits a 100% match in the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) software based on a generic job description is not going to help the CEOs that stay awake at night thinking about their talent problem.

You need to change the way you look at talent acquisition and the process used to attract and retain the best employees.

The Three-Fold Approach Your Organization Needs

There are just three things your company needs when it comes to hiring. They must be completed in order, and they need to be assessed and tweaked on a regular basis.

Step 1: Business Needs

Filling an open requisition because you need more people is not meeting a true business need. Just as buying more office supplies is not a true business need. It makes life easier, but it doesn’t increase sales, or solve quality problems or help you meet any of the objectives in the yearly BPD (Business Plan Deployment).

The key is drawing up your business plan based on your overall business strategy. In other words, clearly understanding where you are right now and where you want to be in one, three, and five years is essential.

Step 2: Knowing What You Have

The greatest asset your company has is not the product or service you sell. The greatest asset is the people you have working within the organization.

This is where assessments, talent optimization tools, and consultants come in handy. The right combination of these three essentials will allow you to better understand your team and their needs. A championship football coach doesn’t just know the position each person on the football team plays. They know the person, what they are capable of, their strengths and weaknesses, and how they fit into the overall plan for each game.

Step 3: Knowing What Your Gaps

There isn’t a job description out there that is going to successfully fill your gaps. At least, not a standard job description. You aren’t looking to fill a requisition. You, like the football coach, are looking to fill the talent and skill gaps your team needs to win not only the next game, but the championship.

Again, the right talent optimization tools, assessments, and consultants can help expedite the process successfully. But you need to know who and what you have, and who and what you need.