Giving your Talent team a seat at the table will change everything

Pull up a chair

Giving your Talent team a seat at the table, not as a special guest of P&C but as a contributor in their own right, could be the key to unlocking their potential.

Leaving your Talent team out of the conversation is one of the biggest detractors to a talent function’s success that I see.

What does your Talent team need to know?

In short, as much as possible.

Including your Talent team in the discussions happening early on around the table, rather than just briefing them in when the need to hire arises, will give them the context required to hire right.

Say you’ve got a big hairy goal for your business in the coming year - a new market or product launch, growth, restructuring or transformation - hiring is going to play a crucial part in your game plan. 

Your Talent team need to be breathing your strategy, every bit as much as your Execs are, in order to bring it to life and convey the story to the talent market you're trying to engage with.

They’ve got a lot to say

Giving them seat is a start - but passing them the mic is a game changer.

If you’re not encouraging your Talent team to report on how hiring is going, you’re missing out on getting direct market insights on the reputation of your business, information around why candidates are passing on your positions and what candidates are looking for right now.

Your Talent team have real time data on:

Salary expectations

They are speaking to talent every single day. They know what the market is paying, what people are driven by and median salary bracket range. Next time you're benchmarking and reviewing salary, bring them into that discussion. Ask them to actively track those numbers and gain invaluable data as a result.

Your reputation

Recruiters can be a bit like therapists, they are masters at encouraging people to open up and tell all. They are in daily discussions with people considering your business as their next employment destination. Your recruiter will know why people are saying no and what they are responding to.  Again, actively ask them to seek those golden nuggets.  

Cracks in your hiring process

Are you struggling to get a response to your campaign, or are you losing people after phone screen, interview, offer? Ask your Talent team to report on the stages of your hiring process which have the largest drop out rate. That data will tell you so much about what needs tweaked in your process to deliver a different result.

Your interview skills

Oh to be a fly on the wall. Are you asking your Talent colleague for feedback on how you conducted your interview? Now more than ever, the interview table has been turned. Candidates are selecting you and the interview is your opportunity to shine. Did you get the best from that candidate through the way you showed up? Be vulnerable, be brave and ask for feedback.

Giving your Talent team a seat at the table is a free and easy way to improve hiring processes, efficiencies and results. Help them move into their power as the subject matter experts they are - pull out a chair for them at your next leadership meeting so they can start doing their best work.