Alexandre Pachulski, Co-founder, Talentsoft

Some of the biggest hiring mistakes are hiding in plain sight. Odds are they’re happening in your company right now. Not because your team is careless or neglecting their responsibilities. These mistakes are happening because talent management has changed drastically and few companies have kept pace.

Most companies are operating as they have for years. When positions need to be filled, they rely on HR to post job descriptions or recruiters to produce potential candidates. Invitations for existing employees to apply may be sent via email or another internal communication channel.

You might be wondering where the mistakes are? It all seems pretty straightforward. This is what most companies do when it comes to hiring and managing talent.

Resumes are collected and often someone in HR vets them, and sets up interviews. Depending on the level of skill required for the position, this could take weeks, if not months. It always seems to take longer than anyone would like.

Particularly because your business needs the positions filled and your customers don’t want to wait. Things need to get done. Which is one of the reasons why the wrong people are hired. Compromises are made. Positions need to be filled so less than perfect fits are deemed “good enough.”

Unfortunately, when it comes to successful talent management, it’s not “good enough.”

It’s just what we’ve been doing because we didn’t know there was a better way or how to do it.

Now we do. Now there are tools and strategies we can use to evolve hiring practices and leverage technology to place the better talent more quickly and easily.

While transforming your talent management strategy won’t happen overnight, there are changes I recommend to get you moving in the right direction.

Be in permanent talent-scouting mode

Don’t wait until you have an open position. Instead be proactive in building your talent pool. Be clear on which qualities and characteristics are essential. To use my own company as an example, there are three things any new hires must possess: a natural fit within our culture, a passion for what they do and a willingness to take calculated risks that support growth and innovation. This awareness helps us fine tune our radar so we can recognize potential talent at any time, in any situation, who could add value to our business.

Empower every person on your team with scouting privileges

Current employees make ideal ambassadors; they know your business inside-out, understand your culture and who would fit in well. It’s a mistake to place the onus solely on HR when you could have numerous recruiters in the form of your other employees. Give them the green light not only to share opportunities within their networks as they come available, but also to refer talent that embody the company culture. There's plenty of data that proves a strong referral process saves money, onboarding time, and better retention numbers..

Create a channel for top talent to apply

Never show a talented person who meets your criteria a closed door. While the timing might not be right to hire them, make sure you have a channel that allows them to submit their resume and any ideas they have for adding value to your team. Create connections with such people so you can reach out to them right away when opportunities arise.

Look past cover letters—see what a candidate has created online

If you judge talent strictly off their resume or cover letter, you may be missing great opportunities. What has that person done with their social media channels? Have they built a significant following? Do they show leadership and creative thinking? Look at the endorsements or recommendations on their LinkedIn profile. By expanding your view of what value they’ve already created, you can get a much better feel for what they might add to your team.

Use integrated technologies to develop a real-time talent database

You cannot continue using silos, spreadsheets, and paper files to create a top talent management database. Even traditional HR softwares aren’t connected enough to foster collaboration within your team. You must use an integrated solution that work off a single database and allows all departments to add and reference data in real-time.

For most companies, this new way of managing talent is revolutionary. Might it be for yours? Evolving your strategy and processes is not easy, but necessary. You can no longer afford to use strategies of old. Changes in hiring practices are moving with or without you. So why not seize the opportunity?

[Image courtesy: Tumisu/Pixabay]