5 Reasons Economic Developers Need Workforce Talent Pools

While those of you in the economic development field may often feel like your hands are tied when it comes to the politics dominating economic development policy, there are areas where you can take more control. One of the most important is getting the availability of skilled employees in sync with the increased needs of the business community. That’s where online talent pools come in.

Talent pools (also called talent networks) are similar to what we used to call the talent pipeline or bench. Only now, there are electronic options for collecting and maintaining endless amounts of data. Everything from candidates’ specific interests, skills sets and projects they’ve worked on to businesses’ detailed job placement needs and the types of individuals who fit best with their particular corporate cultures. Talent pools are not just a list of names and resumes. They are powerful communities that bring supply and demand together.

Economic developers who take the steps to create searchable workforce talent pools will free up time often spent on endless staffing issues and can focus instead on true economic development functions. Here are five benefits economic developers can gain from establishing online talent pools.

1. Get your message heard

When you develop an online talent pool, you are also creating a space where you can share your vision and ideals. You can distribute specific content through videos, webinars and meet-ups to increase the public’s knowledge of the importance of economic development and encourage like-minded people to connect and consider how they might fit into the economic development workforce. Regardless of your state, country or continent, your reach for new talent no longer has the limits of location. As people engage with you, you have the opportunity to show why your region is one of the top destinations for talented professionals.  

2. Develop and strengthen your brand

Economic development teams and community businesses can work together to strengthen their brands through talent pools. Talent pools allow you to raise your profile among target audiences, increase recognition and unify the community behind consistent messages. This gives you a greater ability to engage candidates through branding and other more meaningful ways. You can also create unique communities for specific groups and use these to attract talent to cities and states, resulting in a more highly skilled workforce and stronger business and economic growth.

 3. Attract (and retain) top talent

Talent pools are also a boon for potential job candidates. They will have direct access to a broad range of opportunities and can develop real relationships with companies over time. When talent pools are done right, candidates will get more feedback about the result of their expressed interest rather than just being a resume in a waste basket. Candidates can also have a living profile with things like video and a portfolio. And, they can remain in a talent community after being on-boarded and off-boarded. A talent pool provides a virtual location for past, current and potential candidates and employers to discuss opportunities, goals and interests, as well as to ask questions and get information about career-related and other topics. When you create a comfortable, informative and interesting environment for people, they will continue to come back as well as share that experience with friends and colleagues.

4. Attract new businesses

By demonstrating to businesses how you can partner with them to promote their brand, spread their message and enhance their workforce, you will add to the benefits of doing business in your region. This partnership could include online visibility into and analysis of the talent in the talent pools. It would be very inviting for new businesses to know that they can be part of an established workforce recruiting solution that provides a place for them to search, engage with, screen and video interview candidates. Talent pools are also a great source of information about the current needs and mindsets of a wide variety of groups and individuals. 

5. Fill job vacancies much faster

As you know, it sometimes takes many months of recruiting to fill a single vacancy. When you’ve got a pipeline of skilled workers already prepared, however, those months will be whittled down substantially. With talent pools, you can create communities and categorize candidates according to experience, skills, level of capability, behavioral qualities, and specific types of workers that fit your needs, while also storing all of the applicant and candidate information (like profiles, resumes and portfolios) you amass over time. As you continue to grow, and keep in touch with, your talent pool, you will have many people to reach out to when new positions open up. A talent pool gives you access to a broader range of high-quality candidates and a large variety of methods for communicating, screening, interviewing, assessing and hiring candidates in a greatly reduced cycle time.

Talent development pools can play a critical role in helping economies remain strong, stable and sustainable. To find out how talent pools can benefit you, please call us at 415-835-0202 or email sales@talentcircles.com.

Are You Addressing These 3 Important Staffing Trends for 2016?

Are You Addressing These 3 Important Staffing Trends for 2016?

Is it really possible that we are into the second quarter of 2016 already? Even if you’re in denial, a glance at the calendar confirms it’s true. So where have your first quarter efforts taken you? Are you focused on the right things to stay ahead of your competition? Here are three important staffing trends that should be driving your endeavors.

1. Candidates are in the driver’s seat

It’s not going to be an easy year for recruiting. With lower unemployment rates, strong candidates are either already working or have the option to be picky about accepting job offers. The majority of top performers who are currently employed are not actively looking, so recruiters and companies need to find new ways to attract these passive candidates.

Candidates need to be sold on companies. It’s important to market your company as a great place to work. In addition to a decent (if not great) salary and benefits, what perks do you offer? Candidates really want to know “what’s in it for me?” There are many types of incentives you can provide. Just be sure you are clear about how working for you company is a win-win for everyone involved.

In addition to “WIFM” from a perks and incentives perspective, people also want to know that a company’s values are in line with their own. Building your brand so it’s obvious what your company is all about also helps to ensure that the people you attract are the ones who will fit in with your corporate culture.

2. Existing employees are extremely valuable

Companies are realizing the value of their existing employees. And in times like these, you need to work hard at providing reasons to stay. The top talent is getting courted by your competition so you want to show them why they’re better off staying where they are. In many ways this is similar to the idea of selling new candidates on why your company is a great place to work, but it can be easy to overlook the need to “sell” someone who is already on board. Don’t let that happen. Keep communication open and regularly show appreciation for a job well done. To find out what entices people to stay, conduct “retention interviews.” Instead of waiting until someone gives notice, then conducting an exit interview, try conducting interviews with people who have been with you for a while and find out what it is that appeals to them about the job and company.

Many companies are also using training/education to fill in gaps for missing skills in current employees rather than looking outside for someone who already has those skills. Remember, a good attitude goes a long way, and is not something that can’t be taught.

Asking existing employees for referrals continues to be a great source for new talent. Employees who were hired based on a referral are often among the top performers. Encourage referrals—including asking people to tap into their professional networks—by putting a good employee referral program in place.

3. Technology rules: Accessibility plus data, data and more data

Since the competition for candidates is heating up, it’s important for companies to focus on the candidate experience. People are on the go, and your staffing efforts need to move with them via smart phones, tablets and laptops. Be accessible and make it simple for candidates to connect with your company. Start making use of video in your hiring ads and company profile if you don’t already. Not only is it more stimulating, it enables people to read less and move forward faster. You need to use the technology available to make it easy for candidates to access information and apply for jobs; and for you to offer faster answers and be generally more responsive. If you’re not attentive enough, quickly enough, good candidates will lose interest.

Leveraging social media and various online groups and communities is becoming more and more necessary. Companies now have more access to information about potential candidates than ever before. You just need to be certain you are using the information effectively to better target the people you want to hire. Tracking and organizing all of the data people put out there can sound overwhelming at first, but with the right software, you will be able to create a talent pool that will continue to grow with you and be essential for all stages of employment.

Employers are likely to be struggling this year more than the candidates looking for jobs. So, do your homework. Understand what changes you need to make in order to sell the best candidates and current employees on the benefits of working for your company. Get creative, embrace new technologies and make it happen.

Visit our website at www.talentcircles.com, contact us at sales@TalentCircles.com or call 888-280-0808 for more information.

Times are Changing for Recruiters, Are You Prepared?

  

So, what do your client businesses and potential candidates expect from you?

“They both want better results and to see barriers and dead-weight inefficiencies taken out of 20th century processes that are still relied upon today.” This information comes from our latest white paper, Staffing Firms and Talent Pools: The Time Has Come to Sink or Swim.

Businesses are finding that, with changing times, the long-standing staffing model has some major shortcomings. These companies are being pressed more than ever before to find the right talent, engage and make the best use of it, and maximize ROI on the talent engagement life cycle. This means the tried and true staffing firm model must evolve and leverage new technology to be more effective and provide the service and value that is really needed.

Those recruiting firms that are stepping up to the plate to address changing client and candidate needs are embracing the benefits and importance of an important new technology: online talent pools.

Excerpted from our white paper, “Talent pools are beginning to happen…They are powerful enablers of bringing talent supply and demand together, and they are a new way for staffing firms to meet changing client and candidate expectations.”

Download our new white paper here to learn how, staffing firms that integrate emerging talent pool technology with the best of their existing capabilities and processes can improve their performance while satisfying both clients and candidates.  

Visit our website at www.talentcircles.com, contact us at sales@TalentCircles.com or call 888-280-0808.