Happy Friday y’all!
So this is the second installment in who knows really around Talent Acquisition Transformation; something both very close to my heart and currently in play in my world.
The first part covered what might go wrong during TA transformation; poor leadership, lack of direction or even a disconnected exec/leadership group.
What comes next? Post-it notes and marker pens? Excel project plans? Nope. For me let us take a step back before we actually “do” anything. Mindset; yes you read that correctly. Mindset.
For a long time TA have always been branded the “process” police, whether it be a candidate criticising our ATS (and rightly so) or a hiring manager who has to complete task ABC by XYZ. What happens if we forget the word “process” and looked at an “experience” way of thinking. This is what Google tells us:
- PROCESS – A series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end.
- EXPERIENCE – An event or occurrence which leaves an impression on someone.
“Actions or steps” v “Leaving an impression”…I know which one I prefer!
Now I am not the first person in “Talent” to talk about experience. However, with tech developing at a rate of knots and C-suite starting to really put an emphasis on attraction and retention, there is no better time to start moving away from a “process” mentality to an “experience” mindset.
With tools such as Design Thinking and a greater understanding of how people operate such as see, think feel & do, we now have a creative ability to create “experiences” that will truly positively impact candidates, hiring managers and our own internal talent.
If we are to ever reach that Holy Grail of a “consumer” like experience in TA, we need to be far more experiential in our thinking. Imagine Talent Management designed through the eyes of the people we are actually trying to develop and grow? How about a Hiring Manager that engages with his Recruiter 101% every time because we have taken the time to get inside their world, understand their pressure and problems and suggested solutions, no matter how big or small?
Yes. This is all possible using a very simple tool. Not a bigger budget. Not a piece of shiny tech. Empathy. Yep. Empathy; simply understanding how someone else feels. That is it. Not rocket science. That should be the most important thing when we are looking to re-design. Our audience is key and how they feel is critical, not our admin requirements. As we all know acceptance is the real barrier to adoption; if we can crack this, we are half-way there.
Remember. Transformation needs to transform. Let us begin at home with how we think about our own world, before we try changing the world of others.
BG.
If you haven’t already, you can read Part 1 here.
