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A company can go only as far as its top talent can carry it. The job industry is competitive, and most, if not all, established and talented workers have no problems finding a job.
Organizations do their best to persuade new and talented people to join them. From offering competitive salaries and vacation packages to flexible schedules or health insurance, it takes a lot to attract a valuable employee.
Naturally, not all companies have the necessary resources to go head-to-head against more prominent businesses.
Instead, they need to take a different approach and look for hidden gems that have potential. Recognizing top talent and striking the iron while it is hot will give you an advantage over other companies that might be looking to make a move.
The question is, how do you go about creating a top talent recognition strategy? Below, you will find 7 useful tips.
1. Automate the process
Let’s start with automation. These days, a plethora of available automation tools help businesses reduce workload and save resources.
In the context of recruitment, there are multiple areas to worry about:
- Tracking candidates
- Scheduling interviews
- Data keeping
- Onboarding
Recruits save time, or rather, they have more time to check the candidates thoroughly, focusing on personal touches.
It also helps that automation lets you screen more candidates. Having fewer options to choose from is a hindrance to organizations that want to access the biggest available candidate pool and choose the best.
Finally, automated recruiting tools usually come with features to adhere to local and international laws, such as GDPR. Data privacy and other compliance concerns are a hassle and can lead to significant troubles if not dealt with appropriately.
2. Look within the organization
A common approach to looking for a potential recruit would be going outside the organization. However, doing so might not be the best course of action.
It is possible that the top talent you are looking for is already in the company, working in a department that lacks attention.
The tricky part is identifying one, particularly if the organization is large with hundreds of employees.
Your best bet is probably to create a transparent company policy to encourage interested employees to take action. If someone sees a newsletter or an email explaining how a company is hiring for a new position, the odds are that they will engage with an invitation and participate.
3. Check social media pages
Social media pages are popular among recruiters for multiple reasons. First of all, you get to learn a lot about a candidate, depending on what they share on social media.
Presenting yourself in an interview and presenting yourself on social media tell a story. Some facts might not add up, which makes it easy for HR to dismiss candidates.
Now, when it comes to recognizing top talent, skimming through someone’s social media feed is also valuable.
For instance, if you are looking to hire a graphic designer or a video editor, you can treat a potential candidate’s social media page as their portfolio. That is, so long as they share their work.
Yes, social media does not help when it comes to certain jobs, but for creative work, it is a useful source recruiters utilize.
4. Carry out thorough interviews
Thorough interviews take time, but it is often the critical step to determine whether a candidate is worth consideration or not.
It is up to the recruiter to determine what to ask. Having a resume in front of you helps, but it is one thing to read about someone and another to talk to them in person.
Some jobs do not require communication skills that much, so focusing on how a candidate is doing on the verbal side might not be a priority. Assessing their actual experience and skills should be most important.
On the other hand, for positions that come with interpersonal skill requirements, an interview works as an excellent test run to give insight into how a candidate handles themselves.
5. Take advantage of referrals
It is impossible to know everything about everyone. Even with unlimited resources at your disposal, you would not be able to reach out to candidates who are worth your time.
Which is why referrals provide a lot of value to recruiters. Various references are common in resumes to back up one’s qualifications.
A referral becomes more valuable if it comes directly from the source. Imagine receiving a phone call from an established university professor who wants to recommend their top pupil. Nobody in their right mind would deny such a request.
6. Host live events to identify top talent
Live events provide another opportunity to get familiar with candidates. How they act in an informal environment tells a lot about their characters. Of course, it does not necessarily translate to how one would perform in a work environment, but recruiters can still get an idea of what to expect.
Live events also let recruiters meet potential candidates directly. Work fairs, among other events, bring like-minded people to explore available opportunities. Creating a connection early on is an advantage.
Companies appreciate potential candidates who show initiative since it is a sign that somebody is interested in working for them.
7. Compare candidates directly
If your list is large and you only have one slot available, comparing candidates directly with one another is a sound strategy.
At the end of the day, a company wants to end up with the best possible option. It is up to the recruiters to use the available material, such as resumes or video interviews, and go through each candidate thoroughly.
Working on a computer, you can open multiple tabs simultaneously and swap between them. Or, as an alternative, enable the side-by-side view. The tile window to left of screen Mac shortcut does that if you are on macOS.
After organizing the information, recruiters get a better picture and can then work on determining which candidate brings the most to the table.
Closing thoughts
To sum it all up, organizations struggling to attract top talent must be proactive and look for unpolished diamonds out there.
A solid top talent recognition strategy enables organizations to locate top talent and draw their interest.
At the same time, persuading someone to join does not end there. Businesses that want to thrive also have to support employees with development programs so that the top talent does not vain and flourishes instead.
