Win the War on Talent in 2022

I spend WAY too much thinking about this so I thought I'd share to help others.

Do you want to know how to win the ★WAR on TALENT in 2022? ★

Because it's not as difficult as you might think. It's not very expensive. It won't take a whole new revamp of a team. You probably won't have to add FTE.

Here it is..... it's pretty simple.... you can start doing it TODAY.....

Besides staying on top of great benefits, pay, perks, personal dev opportunities and a great culture for your team members...

You HAVE to become known for a great candidate experience.

What does that look like?

★ Stop any 'black hole' candidate application experiences (candidates apply but don't ever hear back... or it takes forever to hear back. Candidates are like GOLD and you have to treat all of them with respect!

★ Respond to ALL of your applicants in a timely manner.

★ Stay engaged with your top candidates throughout the hiring timeline - other companies are, and they will take the best candidates because they are engaged.

★ Make sure your hiring managers, HR, support staff - anyone dealing with your potential talent, has TOP NOTCH customer service skills. Train them if you have to. If you can't train them, don't let them engage with the candidates. People just won't tolerate rude behavior anymore - and guess what... they WILL go off and write about it on a company review online.

★ Speed up your hiring process. Make it more efficient. People have lives and are now able to apply for thousands of jobs with the click of a button. Good people are highly sought after and other companies will scoop them up if you are slow. If you aren't being courteous on the hiring timeline, they will be forced to go with a company that is. They aren't impatient... they have bills to pay. This is real life. Example: Have you ever been in a bad job? Maybe loved your job but worked for a terrible leader that was toxic? Maybe you loved your leader but had a narcissistic peer that made life terrible. Or... maybe you are just out of a job because companies are rarely as 'loyal' as they used to be. Either way, when you need a job... you need a job. If you are a hiring leader and have not gone through the interview process in a while, yourself, I highly encourage you to do so. It's very humbling. I worked with a leader that was headhunted and plucked out of good roles to better roles, his whole life. Cut to, him leaving one company abruptly due to a toxic leader. Long story short, he was shocked that he wouldn't hear back from companies at all... or he would get multiple interviews and the process would drag on... and on.... and on..... with no resolution in sight. This is an example of what my mentor used to call the 'Kid in a Candy Store' issue: a hiring team might have some excellent candidates but continue to see 'what else?' and 'who else?'... this can go on for months! Again, I would encourage all hiring leaders to remember that this isn't rocket science. You need to move quickly through the process - your candidates will thank you, even if they don't get the job. It's just a lost courtesy, in my opinion.

★ Have others key team members interview them besides the manager. Don't include too many people - this slows things way down but does get a few key people involved. I once took a job because I had great repore with the CEO but ended up working closely with a completely different team member and we were like oil and water. People don't always leave because of bad managers... sometimes they leave because of conflicts with a key peer.

★ ★ ★ IN SUMMARY★ ★ ★

It's a whole new world and the way many hiring managers/HR people were trained long ago is now outdated. They were trained when companies had their pick of candidates. They were running the show. Candidates won't allow a poor experience anymore. They won't sit and wait. Why would they? The bottom line always comes down to great communication... Always tell candidates what to expect next. Starting with the “we received your resume” email, keep them informed every step of the way. Send reminder emails, send thank you emails, and promptly respond. Treat people with respect. Put yourself in their shoes. Remember what it's like to be in limbo or a terrible job... don't miss out on GREAT people because you are analyzing the candidates and process to death. People will respect you and appreciate you for moving forward.