The global workforce is becoming very competitive by the day. Companies and multinationals are always looking for the best and most talented employees. Recruiting the wrong candidates for a role can cause immeasurable loss to the company and significantly affect their production or output.
This makes the process of recruiting very delicate. Yet, it is a very time-consuming and laborious task, combing through series of applications to pick the most talented person for a job opening.
What is talent?
Talent is a marked natural ability or skill, especially when it pertains to a particular activity. Talent can be cultivated or built with passion and constant practice. A person’s talent determines what he can do, and acquiring talents create more excellent career opportunities for one. This brings us to talent acquisition.
What is talent acquisition?
Talent acquisition is frequently confused to mean the same with recruitment. Still, there is a difference in the meaning of the two words.
Recruitment involves finding candidates to fill a post in an organization, while talent acquisition is “acquiring of talent.”It means filling these vacancies and utilizing these candidates and their talents to fill similar positions in the organization when the need arises.
During the recruitment process, the talent acquisition team looks out for talents in the candidates. It then recruits candidates not only because of their academic qualifications but also because of the candidate’s skill. In other words, recruitment is a component of talent acquisition.
For the talent acquisition team to be able to recognize talent right away, they have to follow the steps below:
- Identify the skills needed.
To effectively recognize talent, you need to make a list of the skills your company needs. For instance, a company looking to fill a marketing position should look for candidates with sales and communication skills. A candidate with a degree in marketing will be an added advantage. Still, too much emphasis should not be placed on academic qualifications.
While making a list, the recruiter may add specific basic skills such as emotional intelligence, good communication skills, etc. Identifying the exact skills you are interested in as a recruiter will make recognizing a talent more effortless during the recruitment process.
- Leverage social media.
Recruiting can be energy-draining, especially when done wrongly. However, using social media platforms can be efficient in your quest to recruit new talent.
LinkedIn is the central social media platform for job seekers. You can grow your company’s network on LinkedIn and leverage it to attract talent. A lot of prospective candidates will get to know about the positions vacant in your company.
The next step is to find suitable candidates for the job. LinkedIn provides an opportunity for past employees or referees to write a recommendation on the candidate. You can go through the candidate’s certifications, experiences, and recommendations on LinkedIn. This will give you an idea of their top strengths and whether they are a reliable match for your company.
- Do not rush the interview.
Rushing the interview can mess up everything that the recruitment team has worked on till this stage. It is essential to plan the interview process beforehand. Decide on the screening questions for the interview.
The questions should be directed to the candidates so that they have to give real-life instances of the times when their skills came in handy to solve a problem. The candidate’s response to these questions can provide a clearer picture of their actual talent and ideals.
- The candidates’ skills before hiring.
It is necessary to test the skills of these candidates even after going through their resumes and conducting an interview. These days, hiring the wrong employee can be a costly venture that can cause your money and connections along the line.
The recruitment team should develop any skill tests of their choice, primarily tests that will involve the skills the company is looking to hire. A skill test will help you recognize talent or a flop.
We’re rounding off
Finding an employee armed with all the requirements for a job rarely happens. But this doesn’t mean that you wouldn’t find some with potential.
The ability to recognize and recruit talented people into your workforce would be a game-changer for your hiring process. A game-changer that you will reap heavily from in the long run.