ACQUIRING TALENT LIKE POKEMON?

Teki mentioned a tweet wherein an HR practitioner lamented the lack of talent for data scientists. She disagreed with this notion and pointed out how best we can qualify the minimum requirements of the role. She used words that were simple, on-point and definitely ‘keyword’ and buzzword free yet still provided room for potential.

This led me to think of the conversations I’ve had with clients, headhunters and stakeholders.

I agree, there is NO shortage of talent. There is however, a shortage in understanding and defining the requirements of a role. This lack of clarity comes from hiring managers and the talent acquisition practitioners alike. It really saddens me when a hefty number of “subject matter experts” are imported from other countries when there are a quite a lot of profiles with equitable, if not, equal calibre around.

Hiring managers at times cannot articulate who exactly they need. The candidate profile becomes a wish list of the ideal yet fictional candidate. With so many requirements, they fail to identify what to put weight on, or zero in on what are essential. They define their requirements to absolutes that they end up disappointing themselves, the recruitment teams and the talent. In the end, the post goes unfilled, the team in need gets paralyzed. It is, at times, understandable when hiring managers are unable to articulate their hiring needs if the position is new for the organization, more so if it is highly specialized. However, whether current or new, hiring managers need to voice how the needed role helps enrich the company’s growth, how the role embodies what the team stands for, where are they at and where they would like to be. The talent acquisition specialist can then map out qualifications, experience and total profile with guidance from the manager. The hiring process then becomes an organic, inclusive conversation of what then could the candidate bring in to the organization.

I’ve had many an instance wherein being headhunted became mere exercises of validating timelines and kinds-of-work experiences rather than understanding the depth and quality of said work-experiences. One that comes to mind is I was approached for the role of Talent Capability and Engagement Senior Manager. Our conversations were limited to a flurry of text messages, garbled phone calls and email exchanges on filling out forms. Our discussions didn’t really draw on what my strengths and opportunity areas were for the role. Conversation questions were often generic and sometimes, I have been asked to just answer the questions in an essay and submit them over. When I speak, they listen for cue words. If I fail to overtly utter these words, I fall short of the requirement. Several times, I was repeatedly asked redundant questions on work-experiences, which were all clearly stated in my CV had they taken the time to read it. Very few of them comprehend, much less are aware, of the trends happening in the space they are hiring for. I walk away with the feeling that they squandered the time to truly get to know me professionally that I am left without confidence on how they can fully represent me to their clients as a highly viable candidate. Talent acquisition — yet they couldn’t articulate what my talents truly are.

In preparing to run a strategic planning session for an HR team, I asked participants why they do what they do. A lot of the recruitment practitioners answered this: “Because I want to help others get a job. I take pride in knowing I’ve helped improve someone’s way of life by providing them with a job.” While there are no right or wrong answers, one couldn’t help but find their answers a tad self-congratulatory, if not self-centered or messianic, rather than enriching or enabling. Know this: It is the candidate and the candidate alone who gets the job. It’s how they answered the questions, how they presented their experience, it’s the charisma and connection they’ve struck with the hiring managers. Not the recruitment person. I’ve also seen these same recruitment people with this mentality, later take credit for the career promotions and success of these talents. The hard work, effort and sacrifices the person put in are largely diminished, if not ignored altogether. They have simply become beholden to the opportunity given to them by the recruitment person. Some unscrupulous recruiters even go as far as to use job openings in exchange for personal gains and favors.

Our local recruitment scene can be likened to playing Pokemon Go. Most go around basing their catches on PokeStops with the most lures, confirming where pokemon were last seen, madly trying to “catch ém all!” They only review the full actual prowess of a pokemon once caught, rather than before. And the poor creatures trapped in Pokeballs? Often at the mercy of their captors.

I did come across one talent hunter who was able to demonstrate a healthy, balanced relationship between hiring clients and talents. He was Teki’s executive headhunter. On the get-go, he was transparent on what he knew about the role and what required further clarification. When he spoke to Teki, he had done his research and was fully aware of her areas of expertise. Their conversations were on determining specific capabilities and nuances needed for the role. He communicated that he was a conduit between the hiring company and Teki. This translated to beyond being able to answer questions and concerns about the hiring team and the company itself — that even after Teki was offered a job and started to have concerns over the role, he provided feedback to his clients and sought other roles that Teki might be a fit for. On social media, you could see he networked with industry leaders, game-changers and contributors to the space he hired for. He understood trends and has a clear vision that we need more creative and humane approaches to recognizing talent.

Recruitment is no longer a one-sided conversation. It is a solutions-discovery conversation. The dynamics of power has shifted to be equitable on both sides of the hiring spectrum — whether they be the hiring manager or the candidate. Both aware that they can contribute to each other’s enrichment. At the end of this all, recruitment is an exercise in uplifting the dignity of the worker and recognizing the good work that they do. Talent acquisition is about talent — understanding it, recognizing it and promoting it. The cookie-cutter approach to how we are currently sourcing and engaging talent needs to be less on blind acquisition, but more about talent enrichment.