Talent Acquisition Strategies Are Not One Size Fits All

By Jessica Miller-Merrell

I certainly can speak first hand in the value of learning, growing and listening to others both personally and professionally. There’s value in hearing best practices, advice and other’s strategies especially when it comes to talent acquisition and the human capital industry. Unfortunately, each businesses staffing, retention and hiring challenges are unique and there is no single plug and play strategy. Answers to talent acquisition challenges no matter how big or small are never one size fits all.

The discussion that’s happening around the perfect one size fits all recruiting strategy is interesting because it just doesn’t exist in today’s recruiting world. Within companies of all sizes and locations, recruiting teams, managers, and executives all struggle to hire and retain the best talent. The fact that is your size and location create their own unique challenges when it comes to talent acquisition.

Understanding your company’s challenges is the first step into being able to recruit more effectively while overcoming talent acquisition issues. Smaller companies might have a harder time attracting top-level candidates because they’re not able to offer all the perks that more established companies bring to the table. On the reverse, larger companies can struggle with being able to offer top talent career paths that suit their ambitions.

Before you can start evaluating working trends you must start researching. As with any project you undertake you must first research the issues that your company faces in your talent acquisition strategy. Whether it is that your location is dense with competitors or you don’t have available resources to deliver the same amount of perks or compensation. Find out a list of what’s working based on industry trends by researching then conduct these four methods of evaluation:

Company employee surveys: One of the easiest and most honest ways of obtaining feedback is conducting an employee survey. Make sure the survey is private so you’re able to collect real feedback. This’ll give you direct insight into how your employees feel about the direction and overall culture for your company. This will help you improve tactics to better your organization making talent acquisition much easier.

Focus group research: The use of focus groups to evaluate current practices and standards for your company will help understand the importance in a collectively thought-out environment.

Benchmarking: If you’re going to implement changes within your organization its important to do so in a manner that allows you to see real results. Benchmark where you were prior to implementing better methods of talent acquisition strategies. This will allow you to understand the benefit or risks based on new strategies.

Colleagues in the industry: Last but certainly not least, ask your peers. Most are willing to help you in your search to build a better organization. Find those who have their PHR, SPHR or have years of experience. 9 out of 10 times they’ll even give you personal advice on what has worked for them or they’ll point you in the right direction.

Finding the perfect fit for your company takes research, planning, evaluating, and sometimes repeating all of those. Look for industry standards, but don’t take them at face value because one thing that might hurt a company could potentially be very beneficial for your company. For instance, take a look at your content marketing strategy and make it one that excels. Companies stand out when they address candidates in a way that resonates with them and work on providing a candidate experience that emphasizes the qualities and uniqueness of the company.

Jessica Miller-Merrell, SPHR is a workplace and technology strategist specializing in social media. She’s an author who writes at Blogging4Jobs. You can follow her on Twitter @blogging4jobs. 

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