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How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent
Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 3
The Challenges of a Candidate’s Market 4
High-Performing Organizations Invest in People 7
Set Talent Development-Focused Priorities 7
Source Strategically 9
Attract Competitively 11
High-Performing Organizations Invest in Technology 12
Integrate the Talent Acquisition Lifecycle 12
Collect and Analyze Data 14
Manage Workforce Complexity 16
High-Performing Organizations Diversify Approaches to Talent Acquisition
17
Market the Employer Brand 17
Customize Processes for Talent Segments 20
Meet Candidate Expectations 21
Conclusion 17
Appendix 23
Endnotes 24
About the Research 25
Survey Respondent Demographics 26
About the Research Partners 27
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 3
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY With the lowest U.S. unemployment rate in a decade,1 people have more choices about where to work and how to spend their time. This leaves human resources (HR) and talent acquisition (TA) professionals with only one option: get better. Better at understanding the type of talent required to meet strategic business objectives; better at attracting and hiring that critical talent; and better at helping organizations evaluate and evolve their acquisition strategies as the workplace and labor market continue to shift.
Human Capital Institute, in partnership with Kronos, studied what high-performing organizations (HPOs) are doing differently to attract and hire the talent they need to remain competitive now and in the future. In a study of over 200 organizations, we learned that HPOs’ recruiting strategies differ in these areas:
Emphasize the development of strong internal pipelines for talent just as much as external pipelines
Are more likely to offer comprehensive total reward packages, developmental opportunities, and flexible work arrangements
Have a robust integration of technology solutions that manage workforce complexity
Market the employer brand by increasing investments in the talent acquisition process
Customize processes for talent segments to effectively and frequently reach different types of candidates
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 4
THE CHALLENGES OF A CANDIDATE’S MARKET
There is no question that candidates are in the driver’s seat today (Figure 1). As more positions are posted, the acquisition process becomes longer and more expensive, and the demands put on HR and recruiting professionals are increasing, sometimes with mixed results (e.g., one-year turnover rate increases in Figure 1).
These challenges vary among recruiters and are often dependent on the types of roles they are filling. Half of the organizations surveyed report having a complex mix of full-time, part-time, and contingent, gig, freelance, or contract labor. But the workforce environment is only expected to get more elaborate and unpredictable. In addition to the complexities of acquiring salaried and hourly workers, in the next two years, more than a third of organizations (42%) are planning to increase the number of contingent/gig/freelance/contract workers hired.
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 5
Of what you measure, how have the following changed in the past two years? (Percentage Decreased, Stayed the Same, or Increased)
FIGURE 1
■ Percent reporting increases for hourly■ Percent reporting increases for salaried
Number of open positions
Number of days from job posting to offer accepted
Percentage of first offers accepted
Starting salaries
Cost per hire
Quality of hire2
One-year turnover rate
48%
36%
50%
48%
37%
32%
23%
53%
38%
73%
47%
46%
32%
13%
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 6
Many of the challenges for talent acquisition teams are not new. In our survey, the top-ranking concerns parallel those from previous year’s research.3
Inability to find the skill sets needed for open positions
Challenges in offering competitive compensation
Difficulty in getting first-choice candidates to accept
Communication bottlenecks with hiring managers
Inadequate opportunities for internal training and development
What is new is that organizations are now ready to do something about these challenges. Fifty-three percent of organizations plan to make major changes to their talent acquisition strategy in the next two years. But, which changes will have the most impact?
High-performing organizations approach talent practices, including acquisition, in a new and evolved way. Researchers at HCI developed an index for high-performing organizations (HPOs) that gauges performance on a range of business and talent measures contributing to organizational health and sustainability.4 These organizations are more likely to understand the strong relationship between talent contributions and business value, and as a result, report more involvement with and investment in human resources and talent management initiatives. So, what sorts of changes are HPOs making to their talent acquisition strategies and what can we learn from the purposeful decisions they’re making?
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 7
HIGH-PERFORMING ORGANIZATIONS INVEST IN PEOPLE
High-performing organizations operate in the same reality as other organizations and share many of the same recruiting challenges. It is clear, however, that HPOs are charting a very different course to overcome those obstacles. Our research finds that HPOs intentionally emphasize and capitalize on the value of their existing workforce, making their focus on talent management critical. They value hiring for learning aptitude rather than hiring for skills alone, creating a pipeline that can better serve their needs.
Set Talent Development-Focused Priorities
In contrast to HPOs, other organizations operate from a scarcity mindset, focusing on finding and sourcing for capabilities that are missing from their workforce. Recruiters in these organizations double down on prioritizing the needs of hiring managers and finding specific skills among external candidate pools (Figure 2).
HPOs instead prioritize talent development as a key part of their acquisition strategy. Talent mobility is a guiding principle for the high-performing organization. They understand the internal talent they have with clear talent profiles, skills gaps, talent pools, and succession plans. They intentionally develop existing talent for future opportunities and because of this, HPOs are more able to identify well-qualified, internal candidates. These organizations may better predict hiring needs, backfill positions, and improve recruiting efficiencies so that critical roles are filled quickly and current employees are not overburdened because of a vacancy.
This proactive approach is supported by a strong relationship between talent acquisition and the business. The reliance on and use of data is a primary ingredient, making this approach a success. HPOs are much more likely to leverage data from HRIS, HCM, and/or recruiting platforms to inform their talent acquisition priorities.
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 8
What are the most important considerations in your talent acquisition strategy? (Select the top five.)
FIGURE 2
Hiring managers’ needs40%
56%
45%
48%
48%
30%
34%
16%
18%
15%
21%
58%
52%
39%
36%
70%
30%
22%
21%
16%
8%
5%
Strength of the external talent pipeline
Availability of specific skills
Business strategies
Strength of the internal talent pipeline
Candidates’ psychographics (attitudes, beliefs, and preferences)
The impact on the existing workforce
Aging of workforce/approaching retirement
Candidates’ demographics
Data from workforce management solutions (timekeeping and
scheduling)
Data from HRIS, HCM, or recruiting platforms
High-Performing Organizations
All Other Organizations
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 9
Source Strategically
There are numerous sourcing channels that organizations can use to find candidates, but they vary in effectiveness. Across all organizations, employee referrals have become a top source of quality talent (Figure 3). Other strong sourcing channels include career sites, job boards, and social media.
Both high-performing and other organizations use multiple methods to source talent, but HPOs rely on more and varied sourcing channels than their counterparts. For example, HPOs are significantly more likely to use social media to source talent than other organizations. Our survey respondents indicated that they are using platforms such as LinkedIn and Glassdoor to promote the employer brand, post opportunities, and communicate with candidates.
HPOs are focused on a differentiated approach to recruiting based on the types of roles they’re trying to fill. They approach sourcing for hourly and salaried roles differently and strategically, recognizing that quality hires for one type of role may come from a different source than another. HPOs frequently use career sites to source salaried workers and specialized job boards to source hourly workers. They proactively expand their talent pipeline by leveraging unconventional sources too, such as partnering with educational institutions to brand themselves and promote opportunities at their organizations. They also seek collaborative partnerships that align to their mission of developing skills required for hard-to-fill positions.
“In our industry, people are not going into skilled trades the way they did years ago.
We’ve exhausted several resources for recruiting.
I’ve recently reached out to some of our community
colleges to begin a potential apprenticeship program.
I’m trying to think outside of the box and come up with some other ways that we
can attract young people to come in and learn our ways
and our culture.” —Stacie Edwards, SHRM-CP, Director of People & Culture,
THS National LLC
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 10
What sourcing channels yield the highest quality hires as measured by performance ratings? (Select all that apply; asterisks indicate a statistically significant difference.)
FIGURE 3
Employee referrals45% 42%
35% 47%*
41% 34%
37%* 38%*
30% 42%*
27%* 35%
34%* 32%*
31%* 23%
27%* 13%
21% 11%
21%* 25%
18% 14%
40% 46%
30% 33%
26% 28%
23% 20%
25% 27%
20% 30%
17% 19%
18% 25%
16%* 12%
16% 5%
12% 22%
7% 11%
Job boards, general
Internal search
Career site
Social media
Job boards, specialized
University recruiting
Alumni networks
Apprenticeships/co-ops/internships
Temp to hire and part to full-time agreements
Third-party search firms
Staffing platforms
Hourly (non-exempt) Salaried (exempt)
High-Performing Organizations
All Other Organizations
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 1 1
What is your organization currently doing to attract people for hourly and salaried positions? (Select all that apply; asterisks indicate a statistically significant difference.)
FIGURE 4
Increasing wages and bonuses47%* 45%*
47%* 42%
38% 48%*
35%* 32%
38%* 39%*
34% 33%
29% 38%
32% 38%
23% 30%
18% 27%
Increasing recruitment marketing efforts, including social media
Investing tools and technology for the workplace
Offering learning and training programs
Adding flexible work arrangements (e.g., remote work, flexible
scheduling)
Hourly (non-exempt) Salaried (exempt)
Attract Competitively
In a strong economy, it is not surprising that most survey respondents are working to address the challenges of skills shortages and gaps within their organizations. The majority are focusing on increasing wages and bonuses and offering learning opportunities and access to training programs to address the gaps within their organization (Figure 4). HPOs also offer more training and development options for employees, and they are more likely to get creative with their employer value proposition by offering things like flexible work arrangements. This is especially true for hourly positions.
Most compelling in our research is the extent to which HPOs leverage their technology stack to attract talent. HPOs are more likely to invest in workplace tools and technology than their counterparts and to leverage that in their employer value proposition. This reflects a commitment to organization-wide investment for building and supplying infrastructure, information, and modern tools that benefit all employees and functions so everyone feels like they have adequate resources to be successful in their work.
“We have invested in a training and development
manager. She is developing a formal onboarding program
and interviewing new hires 30, 60, 90 days on the job to follow-up with them and
ensure they are engaged and not at risk for leaving.”
—Stacie Edwards, SHRM-CP, Director of People & Culture,
THS National LLC
High-Performing Organizations
All Other Organizations
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 12
HIGH-PERFORMING ORGANIZATIONS INVEST IN TECHNOLOGY
HPOs are on the forefront of technology adoption, especially within the talent acquisition function. While only 36% of other organizations will be increasing their investment in technology solutions for talent acquisition, 59% of HPOs will do so in 2019 (Figure 7, see page 18). Their objectives are to effectively incorporate talent acquisition activities across the employee lifecycle, regularly collect and analyze data, and efficiently manage workforce complexity.
Integrate the Talent Acquisition Lifecycle
Across the board, organizations rely on recruiting platforms to assist them throughout the talent acquisition lifecycle (Figure 5). Background check tools, applicant tracking systems, and HRIS are the most widely-used technologies. HPOs, however, are significantly more likely to rely on new hire onboarding platforms and HRM suites that help consolidate and coordinate HR processes that other organizations are overlooking. Onboarding is a critical connection point between talent acquisition and the rest of the new hire experience. This integration of technologies builds a cohesive and seamless candidate experience while at the same time improves recruiter efficiencies and gives HPOs the visibility into workforce data they need to make more informed business decisions.
“You need to look tech savvy, especially when you’re a tech company. It is critical how our
recruiting page works.” —Deb Wolfsen,
Human Resources Manager, Engineered Protection Systems
New Hire Momentum: Driving the Onboarding ExperienceResearch conducted in partnership between Kronos and HCI in 2018 shows that few organizations effectively optimize their onboarding experiences. In this study of over 350 organizations, we studied the elements of successful onboarding.
Read more here.
New Hire Momentum: Driving the Onboarding
Experience
SIGNATURESERIESAN HCI INSIGHT PARTNERSHIP
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 13
What recruiting technologies and/or platforms are used at your organization? (Select all that apply; asterisks indicate a statistically significant difference.)
FIGURE 5
Background checking tools71%
60%
53%
37%
43%
44%*
34%*
21%
21%
62%
51%
46%
35%
31%
29%
18%
14%
12%
Human Resources Information System (HRIS)
Interview management tools (video, mobile, apps)
Applicant tracking systems
Recommendations and reference checking tools
New hire onboarding platforms
Human Resources Management Suites
Candidate relationship management tools
People analytics/workforce planning software
High-Performing Organizations
All Other Organizations
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 14
Collect and Analyze Data
One of the key benefits of technology is its ability to help HPOs collect and analyze data that both helps identify workforce trends and is used to make more informed decisions about talent acquisition processes. Most organizations measure the success of their talent strategy using similar metrics, but HPOs are more likely to also evaluate time to fill, cost per hire, time to proficiency, assessment scores, and applicant persistence rates (Figure 6). These datapoints represent each part of the talent acquisition pipeline, from sourcing to screening, to onboarding and the new hire period. In addition to a higher volume of metrics, high-performing organizations also measure more of this data often. Technology platforms and tools make this data collection and analysis faster and easier, ensuring an obvious advantage among HPOs.
“We’ll collect data [on workplace choice] for six
months, and then we’ll do focus groups again so that
we can hit some populations and really hone in on why people like to work here.”
—Shanna Buxton, Director Talent Acquisition and
People Systems, MOD Pizza
Use these formulas to calculate common talent acquisition metrics.
■ Time to fill =
New hire start date - Requisition approval date
■ Cost per hire =
(Recruitment fees or compensation + signing incentives + position marketing + hiring manager time + travel costs etc.)/Total number of hires in that period
■ Time to proficiency for new hires =
Date by which performance review equals meets or exceeds expectations - New hire start date
■ Assessment scores =
Some organizations tend to use a weighted average or an index score for multiple performance evaluations or assessments. Assessments could measure skills, personality, behaviors, knowledge, and/or cognitive ability.
■ Applicant persistence rates (%) =
Number of submitted applications/Total number of applications started
HOW TO
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 15
What metrics are used in your organization to measure the success of talent acquisition efforts? (Select all that apply; asterisks indicate a statistically significant difference.)
FIGURE 6
Time to fill 48%*32%
Cost per hire
Number of open positions
Hiring manager satisfaction with hiring process
Percentage who meet/exceed performance expectations on year one
One-year turnover rate
90-day turnover rate
New hire satisfaction with hiring process
Time to proficiency/productivity for new hires
Starting salaries
Percentage of offers accepted
Candidate satisfaction with hiring process
New hire engagement scores
Positive sentiment in workforce surveys and exit interviews
Positive ratings on review websites (Glassdoor.com)
Assessment scores
Time to complete application
Percentage of first offers accepted
Applicant persistence rates
Company social media mentions and followers
42%
48%*
37%
37%
35%
35%
35%
31%*
21%
23%
25%
25%
23%
20%
24%*
18%
17%
16%*
9%
34%
29%
33%
31%
28%
23%
23%
19%
22%
19%
17%
16%
17%
11%
9%
11%
19%
7%
4%
High-Performing Organizations
All Other Organizations
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 16
Manage Workforce Complexity
There are three primary talent types organizations most often use: hourly, salaried (non-exempt), and contingent/gig/freelance/contract labor, each with its own set of operational norms, costs, and expectations. Roughly half of all organizations rely on some combination of all three, complicating workforce structures and policies from the start. Over the next two years, 42% of survey respondents anticipate managing an even more varied talent mix through their workforce recruiting. More contingent/gig/freelance/contract workers are expected to be hired, and talent acquisition teams are preparing to implement major changes to their strategy as a result.
Within an organization, these various talent segments have different compliance requirements, benefits packages, compensation structures, and performance evaluation criteria. Frequently, nuances are tied to talent segments (e.g., hourly, salaried, etc.) and/or position levels (e.g., entry-level, executive leader, etc.). These factors increase the complexity in talent management and contribute to the accelerated changes within recruitment strategies.
In an effort to outpace these changes, organizations are balancing technology with a more human and relatable approach. The right technology solutions can automate administrative tasks and facilitate communication with candidates throughout the new hire phase and beyond. This enables recruiters and hiring managers to invest more time and energy connecting and building relationships with candidates and new hires.
“You have regular full-time employees, who are salaried and hourly, and your contract
employees, long- and short- term. They all must merge
under one umbrella of talent management, and most
organizations have not quite mastered that yet. I continue
to work with our talent acquisition groups across the globe to manage that talent.
It’s such a big undertaking right now that there’s not a
good answer.” —Paul Petersen,
Director, Skills Management and Workforce Solutions,
Siemens Healthineers
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 17
HIGH-PERFORMING ORGANIZATIONS DIVERSIFY APPROACHES TO TALENT ACQUISITION
No candidate is created equal, and technology allows recruiters to capitalize on that diversity. Technology platforms help TA teams customize and personalize outreach to key talent segments. HPOs value this approach because they recognize quality hires come from many channels, and different talent segments must be sourced and approached in different ways. Diversification enables TA to craft distinct messages to market their employer brand, customize their communication methods and channels, and meet the unique expectations of every candidate.
Market the Employer Brand
Nearly half of all those surveyed plan to increase the investments made in branding and recruitment marketing in the upcoming year (Figure 7). This finding reiterates trends around improving talent acquisition technologies and using software to enhance the candidate experience. Of all organizations, HPOs are significantly more likely to increase their investment in every key talent acquisition process except onboarding. We find that while onboarding has been a priority over the past few years, HPOs have been ahead of the curve5 and are now focused on investing in other areas of TA.
“We’re trying to analyze what job boards we’re getting the best benefit from and invest
more in those versus just [posting] everywhere. We’re starting to work closely with
our marketing department and we’re spending more on
marketing and branding.” —Deb Wolfsen,
Human Resources Manager, Engineered Protection Systems
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 18
How will your investment (budget, staff, resources, and time) in the following elements of your talent acquisition strategy change in 2019? (Percentages indicate those reporting increased investments. Asterisks indicate a statistically significant difference.)
FIGURE 7
Employer brand/recruitment marketing
59%*
59%*
55%*
43%
49%*
51%*
44%*
44%*
41%*
40%
36%
37%
40%
33%
27%
27%
26%
22%
Candidate experience
Sourcing
Technology for talent acquisition
Onboarding
Recruiter productivity/effectiveness
Offer and hire process
Candidate assessment and selection process
Hiring manager experience
High-Performing Organizations
All Other Organizations
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 19
HOW TO
Use Recruitment MarketingWe asked our survey respondents how they are changing their marketing tactics and approaches to appeal to different talent segments (salaried, hourly, and contingent/gig/freelance/contract), and three themes emerged. As organizations review their talent strategy and identify the priority roles they must fill, practitioners suggest considering the following marketing tactics:
Prospective candidates today likely have opinions about you as an employer that are based on sometimes very little information. Smart organizations know this and create clarity and interest at the first and most obvious places candidates will interact with them: company webpage(s), internal career site(s), job descriptions, and employee testimonials.
“We are working on our employer branding, including what our job ads looking like and updating our mobile website to ensure it is user-friendly and reflects our organization.”
“In our manufacturing group, we work with third party agencies to articulate and build our value proposition.”
“For professional positions, we are working on a new ATS that will have a marketing component.”
Before candidates ever reach your website, there is a high probability they are Googling you first. Ensure your presence and reputation on social media sites like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Facebook are positive and reflective of your organizational culture, or risk a candidate presuming you are, at best, negligent, or at worst, apathetic about your employee value proposition.
“In order to show new hires that we are evolving with the times and meeting the expectations they are used to, having an organizational presence on all social platforms is key.”
“We use LinkedIn and Glassdoor often to attract talent and capitalize on the already strong interest candidates have in joining our industry.”
REINVENT THE LOOK AND FEEL OF YOUR EMPLOYER
BRAND
LEVERAGE SOCIAL MEDIA
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 20
Organizations are more complex than ever, and most must contend with varied roles, functions, and talent segments. Each segment is important, but each is also different and must be addressed with distinct messaging and communication channels. Finding and approaching candidates where they are helps localize and improve talent acquisition efforts.
“Based on demographics and/or preferences, we use phone, text, email, or social media for outreach.”
“We are using key words to help us find the right people for our positions.”
“Based on our applicant, hire, and retention data, we are adjusting messaging targeted at select populations, and are reducing investment in least effective messaging.”
“Diversity is a goal for us, and we have actively focused on marketing towards women and people of color in recent years.”
“We do need to get better at listening to talent because we have this short-sighted tendency to assume we know what they want. Instead, we need ask them. What do they want? Where are they going to go? How do they want to do that going forward? And in that context, everybody
sits a little bit different. We recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.”
—Paul Petersen, Director, Skills Management and Workforce Solutions, Siemens Healthineers
MEET YOUR CANDIDATES WHERE THEY ARE
Customize Processes for Talent Segments
Regardless of where they invest their budget, talent acquisition functions generally report using more customization in their work. Across the talent acquisition lifecycle, most organizations refine their approach to different talent segments (Figure 8). Among HPOs, this trend is even more pronounced. The greatest differences are in customizing onboarding, marketing, and employer branding efforts; these are steps in the talent acquisition lifecycle where HPOs have prioritized investments.
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 21
For different talent segments, does your organization customize its…? (Asterisks indicate a statistically significant difference.)
FIGURE 8
Candidate assessment and selection processes
84%*
77%
78%*
75%*
71%*
72%
72%
58%
49%
47%
Offer and hire processes
Employer branding and marketing efforts
Sourcing strategies and channels
Onboarding programs
High-Performing Organizations
All Other Organizations
Meet Candidate Expectations
Effective messaging is a crucial part of meeting the needs and preferences of candidates and speaking to hard-to-reach employees. Custom communication channels and personalized messages are ways to address this challenge. Communication tactics are also evolving, moving away from traditional methods—phone calls, emails—and toward approaches that generate online communities and leverage social media. These newer channels and tactics foster more continuous communication with candidates and provide an opportunity to nurture them throughout the acquisition process.
During the initial steps in the hiring process, HPOs are more likely to communicate with candidates using automated emails, allowing them to sustain contact, interest, and engagement with a larger pool of potential talent.6 But, as a candidate moves through the talent acquisition process, HPOs are more likely to rely on traditional methods of communication as recruiters develop stronger personal relationships with new talent.
“How do you create [an interaction] that is more
personal and authentic? As candidates, we all get those emails that say, ‘Thanks for
applying. We’re really excited!’ But, as a candidate, you think,
‘Are you? You don’t know me yet.’ How do you find the
balance between showing enthusiasm to candidates and being realistic? It is especially
difficult when you are experiencing a high volume
of applicants.” —Shanna Buxton,
Director Talent Acquisition and People Systems, MOD Pizza
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 22
What communication tactics, tools, and approaches are used for the following groups? (Asterisks indicate statistically significant differences between HPOs and other organizations.)
FIGURE 9
Proactively sourced
candidatesInbound
applicants
Screened and
qualified candidates
Interviewed candidates
Candidates with an
offer New hires
Phone 54% 48% 63%* 69% 68%* 71%*
Email from recruiter 57% 56% 56% 54% 55%* 54%
Automated email communication 29%* 35%* 28% 22% 21% 24%
Texting 21% 16% 18% 19% 23% 23%
Social media, including LinkedIn 54% 32% 24% 21%* 20% 21%*
Video chats 11% 10% 20% 23% 18% 14%
Although phone calls remain the most highly favored method of communication, for at least one-fourth of the organizations we surveyed, recruiters and candidates use text messaging. Mobile devices enable just-in-time communication and are a means to quickly exchange questions and answers. Texting between a candidate and recruiter can not only accelerate the hiring process and timeline but provide opportunities for efficiencies and effectiveness. Recruiters no longer have to be tied to a desk or their email to engage with their candidates.
In the future, we expect mobile applications like social media platforms will continue to be used throughout the talent acquisition lifecycle. One in five survey respondents actively use social media to customize messages and tactics to appeal to different talent segments (salaried, hourly, and contingent/gig/freelance/contract). Personal forms of outreach beyond in-person meetings are also likely to increase. Albeit not as widely used as other methods, the reliance on video conferencing among HPOs demonstrates a greater willingness to adopt new, innovative ways of building connection with candidates.
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 23
CONCLUSION
Skill shortages, higher rates of turnover, and increasing time-to-fill have put added pressure on HR and TA to source and hire more talent, more efficiently. This tight labor market begins and ends with the candidate—where they are, what they need, and what they expect. To be effective, talent acquisition strategies must address the preferences of these crucial new hires, whether they come from inside or outside the organization.
This focus on the candidate experience yields better results for TA teams and organizations: candidates are more likely to accept an offer if the hiring experience and employer value proposition they are given meets their expectations. HR and TA professionals must be strategically aligned to the priorities of the business while adopting a candidate-centric approach to their work.
As the world of work evolves, so too must the ways we attract, recruit, and retain our workforces.
High-performing organizations understand this. They approach recruiting proactively and as a core organizational initiative. They leverage data to clearly understand and revise their talent investments. They use technology to collect and analyze that information, optimize processes, ease recruiter workloads, and customize communication to personalize the candidate experience. Collectively, these behaviors enable HPOs to source thoughtfully and hire effectively, even when—or perhaps especially when—recruiters must contend with a candidate’s market.
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 24
APPENDIX ENDNOTES
1. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2019). Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey. Retrieved from https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000
2. Quality of hire was defined as the percentage who meet or exceed performance expectations on one-year anniversary.
3. HCI. (2018). Talent Pulse 5.2: Bridging the Skills Gap with Workforce Development Strategies. Retrieved from http://www.hci.org/hr-research/talent-pulse-52-bridging-skills-gap-workforce-development-strategies
4. We developed an index of 14 organizational outcomes for evaluating the relative strength and weakness of respondents’ organizations. These include seven talent outcomes (investments in training, internal mobility, employee engagement, diversity and inclusion, quality of hire, retention, and leadership bench strength) and seven critical business dimensions (customer satisfaction, regulatory compliance, talent attraction, innovation, profitability, growth/market share, and productivity). These inventories are composed of items with five-point rating scales. Scores from these items are aggregated to create a composite score that reflects the overall strength of each organization in terms of its performance. For this survey, the top 31% of the scores on this inventory are considered high-performing organizations. High-Performing Organizations are diversely represented across industry and number of employees.
5. HCI and Kronos. (2018). New Hire Momentum: Driving the Onboarding Experience. Retrieved from http://www.hci.org/hr-research/new-hire-momentum-driving-onboarding-experience
6. Statistically Significant differences between HPO and other organizations:
■ Phone• Screened and qualified candidates: 51% HPO vs. 68% Other• Candidates with an offer: 55% HPO vs. 74% Other• New Hires: 60% HPO vs. 75% Other
■ Email from recruiter• Candidates with an offer: 45% HPO vs. 60% Other
■ Automated email communication• Proactively sourced candidates: 38% HPO vs. 24% Other • Inbound applications: 40% HPO vs. 28% Other
■ Social media• Interviewed candidates: 29% HPO vs. 17% Other• New hires: 30% HPO vs. 17% Other
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 25
ABOUT THE RESEARCH
This research report was developed in partnership between HCI and Kronos. From November 29 to December 26, 2018, a survey link to a 20-item questionnaire was distributed via e-mail to opt-in members of HCI’s Survey Panel and electronic mailings. Duplicate entries and careless survey respondents were filtered out of the dataset, for a total of 234 respondents and 92% are headquartered in North America.
As part of this project, researchers conducted in-depth interviews with experts on the topic, including:
Shanna Buxton, Director Talent Acquisition and People Systems, MOD Pizza
Stacie Edwards, SHRM-CP, Director of People & Culture, THS National, LLC
Paul Petersen, Director, Skills Management and Workforce Solutions Siemens Healthineers
Deb Wolfsen, Human Resources Manager, Engineered Protection Systems
To supplement these methods, researchers reviewed relevant information from a variety of secondary sources, including academic journal articles, white papers, articles, books, blogs, and case studies. The results of this questionnaire, subject-matter expert interviews, and secondary sources form the basis of this research.
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 26
SURVEY RESPONDENT DEMOGRAPHICS
Number of EmployeesUnder 100 31%
> 100 and ≤ 500 19%
> 500 and ≤ 1,000 16%
> 1,000 and ≤ 5,000 16%
> 5,000 and ≤ 10,000 9%
> 10,000 and ≤ 50,000 7%
> 100,000 2%
Level of Seniority
I am responsible for an entire organization 24%
I am responsible for a business unit or function 20%
I lead and am responsible for other people managers below me 10%
I manage my own work and lead a team of people 22%
I manage my own work and contribute to teams and projects 24%
IndustryProfessional, Scientific, and Technical Services 15%Manufacturing 14%Finance and Insurance 12%Other Services (except Public Administration) 10%Construction 7%Retail Trade 7%Public Administration 6%Health Care and Social Assistance 6%
Role
Human Resources 35%Recruiting, Sourcing, Talent Acquisition 15%Talent Management or Organizational Development 12%Partner to the Business (HRBP) 11%HR Analytics, HRIT, Operations 6%Finance 6%
How High-Performing Organizations Compete for Talent | Evolving Strategies for Attracting and Hiring a Complex Workforce | 27
Kronos is a leading provider of workforce management and human capital management cloud solutions. Kronos industry-centric workforce applications are purpose-built for businesses, healthcare providers, educational institutions, and government agencies of all sizes. Tens of thousands of organizations—including half of the Fortune 1000®—and more than 40 million people in over 100 countries use Kronos every day. Visit www.kronos.com. Kronos: Workforce Innovation That Works™.
We believe that strategic talent management is the only long-term, sustainable competitive advantage left today, and that most organizations around the world are struggling in this critical area. At our best, we change both paradigms and practices, and enable executives to make better, faster decisions than they could on their own.
HCI seeks to educate, empower, and validate strategic talent management professionals to impact business results through the acquisition of insights, skills and tools that are contextualized through research, practice, expert guidance, peer learning, and self-discovery. Visit HCI.org to learn more.
ABOUT THE RESEARCH PARTNERS
Copyright © 2019 Human Capital Institute. All rights reserved.
Publication date: March 26, 2019
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