How can a talent scout attract top talent candidates to interview?

The 64 thousand dollar (maybe 1MM given inflation) question these days is how to attract top talent to your organization.  Different candidates respond to different tactics, so a talent scout must use multiple methods.  

Each of these methods needs to have a common thread to tie them together.  The first thing you need to do is ask yourself if you are hoping (hope is never an effective strategy) top talent finds you, if you’re actively going out to find it (recruiting), if you want your employees to refer top talent to the company, or some combination of the three.

After 20 years, experience tells me the most important method a talent scout can use for attracting top talent is to find and recruit it.  There is a multitude of ways to accomplish this, some of which newer recruiters won’t be privy to.  And real recruiting takes time and energy.  The other 2 methods above need to be used too.  You should also have a system in place to help top talent find you and reach out directly.  All these methods have one thing in common — messaging.

I’m going to assume that you have a strong, positive, and effective message in place already.  If not, you need to get this handled before you take another step to attract top talent individuals.  It is always in your best interest to be proactive rather than reactive in business.  Doing damage control takes time and money that could be saved by being proactive.  The last thing you need is negative press to handle with candidates you want to attract and hire.

Both customers and potential candidates will be able to readily see this message on your website, through social media, and in any advertising.  Your messaging/branding must be consistent in all these areas.  If not, get it done.  It’s imperative that any employee who is speaking about your company to a potential candidate be clear about this message and is able to effectively convey it accurately.  One thing you can’t control, however, is the reality that no matter how great your message is, not every top tier candidate will be a fit for you or you for them.

As for attracting top talent candidates you need an experienced, competent recruiting staff (or 3rd party agency) to go out and find candidates, get them to want to speak to you, engage them in conversation, capture their interest, and give them a quality “candidate experience”.  To accomplish this task takes alignment, planning, a solid talent strategy, and teamwork.  This does not get done in a vacuum.

If you are also looking for top talent candidates to find you, your social media strategy must include a positive way for them to get in touch with you without making them jump through a million hoops first.  You need to be prepared to receive interested candidates in a way that makes them feel good, even if they are not what you’re looking for.

Here’s an excerpt from an article that illustrates some of the points I’ve made.  It may be an extreme example, but it’s one to consider.  This CEO clearly doesn’t have any sort of alignment among the executive team, business strategy, and talent strategy.

Goodson says the service manager posting included “Must be currently employed” because he wanted someone “at the top of their game and not people who have been unemployed for 18 months.”

He spent three years seeking the right person and sifting through résumés was time-consuming, he says. Ultimately, he chose someone within Crestek to fill the vacancy.

“This was the only time we ever advertised that way and we only ran it when the other ads failed to produce any viable candidates,” says Goodson. “For this job, I wanted somebody that’s in the service business and is employed. If someone is out of work for 18 months, my concern would be that their last job was in a bakery or pumping gas.”

Be responsible and accountable when employing a strategy for talent.