Hiring Aligned: Strategic Talent Acquisition

If your company has not yet developed a formal talent acquisition strategy, now is the time to do so.

For one thing, an effective hiring strategy will make it easier for you to find top-notch candidates - and that's never been more important.

Second, it ensures that your recruiting process supports your company's business goals, allowing HR to make a more direct contribution to your company's growth and success.

What is a Talent Acquisition Strategy?

In short, talent acquisition strategies are company-specific plans for identifying and hiring employees needed to achieve a company's short- and long-term business goals.

These hiring strategies consist of multiple components that all work together to ensure an effective hiring process that aligns with each employer's overall goals.

Why should talent acquisition be linked to company success?

All too often the recruitment process is reactive, HR is primarily called upon to fill vacancies as they arise. However, when HR is part of an employer's strategic planning process, talent acquisition becomes a powerful, proactive business tool.

For example, if a company's goal is to expand into a new market within three years, management should not wait until the third year to bring HR on board. Rather, the human resources department is part of the project team from the beginning and participates in strategic personnel planning in order to proactively shape the expansion.

6 key steps for a successful talent acquisition strategy

Successful talent acquisition strategies optimize the various components of the recruiting process, including:

1.Sharpen your employer brand

Your employer brand includes your culture, your values and your overall image as an employer, How you are perceived by current and potential employees.

You can improve your employer brand by offering competitive salaries and benefits, building an engaging company culture, and ensuring a positive candidate experience. An engaging employer brand is one of the most compelling recruiting and retention tools in the HR toolbox.

2.Determine short- and long-term talent needs

In order to hire the best employees, HR must know where the workforce is today - and where it needs to be tomorrow.

Using techniques such as skills gap analysis and skills mapping, HR teams can identify the gaps between the skills of current employees and the skills that are or will be required to achieve organizational goals. Then they can hire (and train) accordingly.

3.Use multiple sourcing channels

Your talent sourcing channels are the different methods and platforms you use to attract candidates, such as: E.g. job boards, social media platforms, employee recommendations, recruitment agencies and the company website.

You undoubtedly have your preferred channels, but the wider the net you cast, the more (and more diverse) candidates you are likely to attract.

4.Create an efficient screening process

In a competitive job market, speed is of the essence. Not only are top candidates snapped up quickly, but studies also show that a slow hiring process deters them.

So look for ways to streamline your selection process and identify and remove obstacles. Whether it's arranging interviews or obtaining approval, find ways to speed up your workflow without sacrificing quality.

5.Use technology

It's worth regularly reviewing your HR software's features to ensure your team is using them fully. Automated job postings, resume scanning, applicant tracking - all of these tools are designed to improve the talent acquisition process, but they only work if you use them.

Sometimes it's the simple things. For example, do a “test run” of your application every now and then. According to SHRM, completing an application takes less than five minutes on average—and the fewer clicks, the less likely applicants are to drop out halfway through.

6.Use hiring data to improve your process

Do you know how long it takes your company to fill a vacancy? What percentage of applicants accept your job offers? Which of your sourcing channels bring you the best candidates?

Tracking your hiring metrics (and improving them if necessary) will help you execute your talent acquisition strategy - that's why it's important to leverage basic hiring analytics.

In conclusion, developing a strategic talent acquisition strategy is essential for attracting top talent and driving organizational growth. Utilize the key steps outlined to streamline your hiring process and align HR efforts with company objectives. Consider leveraging tools like IceHrm for enhanced recruitment capabilities.