Talent Warehouse Provides “Big Box Selection” with “Local Store Service”
When it comes to good service, we all want multiple choices with fast, professional care – rather like the large selection in big box stores but with the level of helpful, friendly service offered at a local hardware store.
Traditionally, recruiting services have been reactionary functions requested at a moments notice under less than desirable conditions. You needed the new hire yesterday. Sound familiar? This is recruiting reality for many companies today. Visualize a big box store with endless aisles of choices and no clear direction on how to locate the right person for the job and you have a recipe for frustration. Where would you turn for the best selection and knowledgeable, friendly service?
Good Recruiters Anticipate Customer Needs
Let’s imagine that the recruiting function is like a home improvement store. There’s an aisle of programmers, a rack of sales people, engineers along the back wall, and so on throughout the store. You walk in looking for a sales engineer. “Second rack next to the Unix administrators,” says the store worker.
So, you stroll over to the second rack where another store worker offers to help. “I need a sales engineer with an accounting background,” you reply. “Those are on the second shelf. If you need one with a CPA they’re in the third bin,” responds the store worker. You put the sales engineer in your shopping cart and head to the check out. Are you feeling any warm fuzzies yet?
Let’s take it one step further. On the way to the check out, a special display draws your attention. The sign reads: “Fall is in the air. Stock up on material handlers for your holiday needs.” You make a mental note and think, “Well, I don’t need a material handler right now but I know where to come when I do.”
Later that week you receive a call from the store manager. “We wanted to see how that sales engineer with the accounting background is working out for you? By the way, the material handlers we have in stock were all rotated this week. We told them about your potential projects and several are ready to get started right away. Please let us know when you’re ready for delivery.”
Moving the Needle from Reactionary to Proactive Hiring
This scenario is a good illustration of the value of implementing a “talent warehouse.” Just as a home improvement store anticipates your seasonal needs by stocking a variety of products, the talent warehouse proactively stocks commonly used skill classes for its customers.
By grouping the raw materials by status (active or passive), primary skill class, location, etc. the proactive recruiting consultant moves the needle from reactionary hiring to proactive candidate selection. This pipeline of talent results in improved quality, lower cost and shorter time to fill. Quality of hire is improved by shifting the interview process from the “I need them yesterday” scenario to selecting from a pool of qualified, interested, and available candidates. Cost per hire and time to fill are decreased by being able to pull pre-qualified material from the warehouse rather than going out into the market to source raw material.
Approached with this type of proactive service, your likely response would be: “Thanks for the call! My sales engineer is doing great and, yes, I may need a few of those material handlers.”
Access to a Talent Warehouse
Any good recruiter will tell you they understand their customer’s business. Recruiters who act on that knowledge by pipelining talent in relation to demand are no longer a function of the business but business partners. A good recruiter not only understands the business and how to pipeline talent; they also influence the market by educating the talent pool about the customer’s business goals and accomplishments. They become business drivers.
In the big box scenario, instead of the customer waiting on recruiters to fill positions, recruiters are waiting on the business to utilize available talent. The talent warehouse accurately reflects pipelined talent based on a variety of conditions related to the demand forecast. By implementing a talent warehouse, business operations flow more smoothly and you get the best selection with the most desirable service.
What value would you place on knowing you have an identified talent pool in your industry, with a good recruiter in regular contact with that talent telling them great things about your business? If you said ‘priceless’ we could make a commercial. With the implementation of a talent warehouse, the recruiter builds interest, improves candidate experience, and helps brand your business through a positive experience.
Partnering with a professional recruiter who stocks a talent warehouse offers you big box selection with local hardware store service.
Lance Dean - National Resources Director
