The Secret Sauce to Talent Acquisition

The world of talent acquisition is littered with activities to rope in candidates. The diagram above shows the steps commonly found in the recruitment process.

After the green light for a job posting, the evaluation of the candidate pool starts with application processing. Then it is a long road with a lot of yellow lights to the final destination – the offer.

For Talent Acquisition professionals, it can feel like chasing a unicorn while wearing cement boots. Why? The hiring manager is seeking the elusive, does-not-exist-in-reality candidate. The conflict, data voids and general headaches between the HRIS and ATS are like a self-inflicted traffic delay because of road works. Plus, the recruitment data analytics are for kindergarteners. The TA pros are like drivers of an electric car with a busted charging point.

Then the interview process runs into a relatively useless, “Tell me about a time when…?” or “How many marbles are in the two liter container?” behavioral and situational interview speed bump. On the shoulder of the recruitment road lurks a speed camera, a money meter plus candidates honking their horns wanting to know the status of their application.

So what’s the answer for creating a smooth journey with a full fuel tank? Algorithms. Yup, people analytics. They are the secret sauce on your talent acquisition combo burger that creates a robust road trip when data is combined with human judgment. To be at the front of the pack when the checkered flag drops, top off your analytics with a gamification colorant and you’ll have the winner’s trophy of data plus insights.

So if you want to be first across the talent acquisition finish line, shoot the unicorns, delve into the algorithms and apply your professional judgment to make a winning combination of science plus art. You’ll then be well equipped with fact-based data and sound advice to discuss with your hiring manager so s/he knows what the speedway looks like before the race begins.