Written by Terra Doyle, Integrated Workforce Strategies Practice Lead, Recruiting Americas, Roche Diagnostics Corporation
The simple answer is YES. In order to achieve short and long-term company ambitions – it takes people. People with the right skills, mindsets, and behaviors are the difference between organizations that “do ok” and those that operate at the top of their game and grow. So, what is a talent strategy and how do you go about this seemingly monumental task to implement one?
One step at a time.
First up is attracting the talent you seek. You aren’t filling jobs; you are seeking colleagues and peers who care as much as you do about the organization’s success. Ensure you have the tools, technologies, and partnerships with internal and external sources to help you attract and find candidates.
1. Consider implementing a robust employee-referral program that rewards your current employees that help secure future hires.
2. Establish a multi-pronged approach to how you market to candidates. This could be traditional methods like job advertisements or creative digital marketing campaigns that gamify your hiring process.
3. Be creative and go as wide and deep as needed to make sure you are reaching the diverse and prepared pool of candidates you want and need in your organization.
Next up is Engaging that talent. Now that you know who you want to engage, do you have a compelling value proposition and opportunities that these individuals will gravitate to? In this competitive landscape – this is a MUST.
1. Make sure you sell your organization. Know what you have to offer and be loud and proud about it.
2. But don’t oversell – be realistic and know what is important to the talent you seek. Right now, flexible work arrangements, non-traditional benefits and most importantly culture – are some of the main drivers for people making career changes.
3. Position your organization as a place candidates want to work. Your “pitch” will make the difference on whether that potential candidate returns your call or leaves your messages unanswered.
And last but not least is retaining your talent. This is applicable for employees who have been with an organization for their entire career or the intern you might hire that you want to convert into a full-time role after graduation. Once you on-board them – you must create an environment where they want to stay.
1. Create a safe and inclusive place where they can bring their true self to work.
2. Provide development opportunities both lateral and vertical to expand their knowledge and experiences.
3. Present challenging and interesting projects that will allow them to gain new skills and grow as individuals. And don’t forget the power of a strong mentor/peer partner.
4. Ultimately you want to create a culture that matches your company brand and allows people to thrive.
While these three focus points are not the only elements to a successful talent strategy – it’s a start that will get you well on the journey to ensure your company is well positioned to improve business performance and results.
COMING SOON: IUPUI Professional Development and Continuing Education will be announcing Lunch-n-Learn online courses on Creating and Implementing a Talent Strategy. To learn more and register early to save your seat, contact shupchur@iu.edu.