peak focus optimized talent acquisition and development

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Peak Focus LLC © 2011 • All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Optimized Talent Acquisition and Development 8 Critical Steps to Building Your Essential Team

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Page 1: Peak Focus Optimized Talent Acquisition and Development

Peak Focus LLC © 2011 • All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Optimized Talent Acquisition

and Development

8 Critical Steps to Building Your Essential Team

Page 2: Peak Focus Optimized Talent Acquisition and Development

Peak Focus LLC © 2011 • All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Systems are put in place to ensure a predictable outcome. No one makes up the manufacturing process for a widget every time they make a new one. So, why should finding and developing the right talent - the ideal addition to your team to help you reach your goals - be any different?

A well defined process, the right tools and deep experience to back it all up are critical for getting it right the first time. Not only do we have the right tools, we have deep experience in helping companies just like yours prepare a plan and ultimately enjoy full confidence in your new hire, further development of their skills and, in the end, their continued contribution to your success.

Why settle for a preconceived notion of your needs when they’re as unique as the candidate you’re seeking?

Because we believe in building sustainable business systems, using our 8-step process described, we’ll coach you through developing your own unique, repeatable talent acquisition and development system. Working as part of your team, we’ll help you learn to confidently use the tools and refine your processes.

When you’re ready to fly solo, we’ll train your selected team members to fully use your own Harrison Assessment (HA) tools as part of your acquisition and development system. No worries - we’re always close by should questions or new challenges arise.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these critical steps.

Interview 1

Interview 2

Recruit

Develop

Define

Attract

Filter

Refine

Exper ience and Techno log y At Wor k For You . . .

8 Cr i t ica l Steps For Connect ing Your Bus iness to the Resour ces You Need

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Page 3: Peak Focus Optimized Talent Acquisition and Development

Peak Focus LLC © 2011 • All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Define

Success: Complete description of the “ideal candidate” for the position.

Creation of a job description, including:

• eligibility (can they do the job),• suitability requirements (will they do the job), • weighting of those factors.

Eligibility factors include professional and technical experience, size of prior companies for which the candidate has worked.

Suitability factors include motivation, team skills, communication styles, problem solving and analytics.

A well crafted job description will fully describe what is expected of the “ideal candidate”. It should also include location of the

job, a description of the overall purpose of the job and main tasks required to do the job well. Special circumstances related to working conditions should also be articulated, including expected travel and telecommuting possibilities or requirements.

And, it must take into consideration your company’s DNA - your internal culture, how you work, the level of quality and professionalism you expect.

Why so important?

Successful hiring starts with a well defined need and a complete (detailed) description of the perfect person to solve the need.

Without a well defined job description (including all the core pieces listed), there is no way to efficiently attract or filter applicants - resulting in a waste of time, effort, dollars and possible harm to the business reputation and brand.

Page 4: Peak Focus Optimized Talent Acquisition and Development

Peak Focus LLC © 2011 • All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Attract

Success: Attract the best quality applicants in the shortest time frame and at the least cost (dollars and effort). Some positions are best filled by referral basis, while others do not require that level of individualized attention.

Some positions require very specific skills or qualities, and therefore are more difficult to find (not the general population, but a specific sub-group).

Key descriptors which will help efficiently identify the best channels (markets, professions, schools) through which candidates will be reached must be pulled from the previously developed job description.

A well planned marketing and attraction campaign must be established, especially if trying

to hire from the “employed and producing” population. This plan must include adequate resources and a well defined process.

Careful consideration must be given to getting others to “tell your story” but only after articulating the exact story you’re asking them to tell on your behalf.

Why so important?

The ability to attract the best possible candidates requires connecting with them on a variety of levels. Knowing (and describing well) what you have to offer which would appeal to them is paramount. Knowing where and how to make the connection is also critical. This is especially true if the campaign is “open to the public”.

Over 85% of “knowledge worker” positions are filled (directly or indirectly) by word of mouth.

Who will actively tell your story?

What story are you asking them to share?

Page 5: Peak Focus Optimized Talent Acquisition and Development

Peak Focus LLC © 2011 • All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Filter

Success: Efficient and cost effective filtering, first on eligibility and then on suitability to create a short list.Whether hiring one person or a large new team, effective filtering based on minimum eligibility requirements is essential.

Use of a Harrison Assessment (HA) campaign allows complete customization and weighting of eligibility factors based on the prior established “ideal” candidate. Automatic filtering with the online Eligibility Questionnaire is the most cost efficient and unbiased (objective) way to create a short list of those who have the right hard skills.

Assuming the eligibility factors were well chosen, defined and properly weighted, the only remaining decision is the

acceptable minimum match correlation (the % match).

Depending upon the level of position and the ability to attract the best candidates, the cut off is generally in the 80% or higher range for most campaigns.

Why so important?

Especially important for “open” campaigns, use of the Harrison Assessment system effectively removes the complexity of filtering “by hand” and greatly reduces the administrative overhead of sorting and selecting resumes by hand.

The automatic filtering is only as good as the original filtering decisions (factors, definitions, questions and weighting of factors).

Page 6: Peak Focus Optimized Talent Acquisition and Development

Peak Focus LLC © 2011 • All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Refine

Success: Selection of the short list of finalists.

The phrase “hire for eligibility, fire for lack of suitability” is applicable at this juncture. With eligibility established, the next step is to determine suitability of the remaining candidates.

Once the minimum match score is established, creating the short list is accomplished by one of two methods: 1) a complete individualized review of the candidates remaining and individually created requests to complete the suitability portion of the HA,

<OR> 2) automatic HA system invitations are created and sent to candidates scoring at or above the minimum match score (threshold).

Regardless of method chosen, the remaining candidates need to be invited to complete the HA Suitability Questionnaire online.

Once again, a minimum percent correlation (score) must be established - this time taking into consideration the weighted combination of eligibility and suitability scores. Any candidates scoring at or above that threshold should be considered for an interview. Their reports should be generated and fully reviewed. In the HA system, this includes a Job Success Formula (JSF) score and full JSF report, individualized “Interview Guide” and “How to Attract” report.

Why so important?

This refinement step is important for two reasons:

• to make the most of the interview team’s time, and • keep the costs down while increasing the probability of making a great hire the first time.

The decision to invite one at a time (manually) or have the Harrison Assessment system do it automatically is generally based on bandwidth and budget.

Page 7: Peak Focus Optimized Talent Acquisition and Development

Peak Focus LLC © 2011 • All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Interview 1

Success: Using a structured interview, cull candidates to generate the short list.

The pool should be cut by at least 50% and as much as 80% depending upon the number on the short list and the quality of the candidates based on the interview.

If the campaign is designed to find one new employee, ideally a pool of at least 5-7 remaining candidates is preferred.

If the campaign is designed to identify more than one new hire, a larger pool is usually desired - following similar guidelines of 5-7 candidates per opening where possible.

For higher level positions, a first cut short list might be as few as 3 people.

Regardless of the actual remaining number in the pool, it’s imperative that those kept on the short list are people you would seriously consider hiring. Passing someone along with any uncertainty is likely only going to waste resources.

Why so important?

Whether done in person, via phone or video chat, a structured interview process must be followed to uncover any potential issues or outstanding questions with the short list candidates.

Utilizing the Harrison Assessment tools provided (interview guide, how to attract report), the interview must be focused, and consistent across candidates.

Page 8: Peak Focus Optimized Talent Acquisition and Development

Peak Focus LLC © 2011 • All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Interview 2

Success: Selection of the top candidate to make an offer.

Depending upon the level of the position and other factors, this interview is preferably a face-to-face event involving a team interview approach. It can be done via video chat if in-person is not practical, but should still be a team interview.

All reports and interview notes should be shared with all other members of the interview team and carefully reviewed in advance.

Roles (for the team interview) should be well defined and questions prepared and refined in advance. Any confusion or lack of coordination at this stage may be taken as a warning sign by your top candidate - an unfortunate

pitfall you can avoid with proper planning and execution of that plan.

The end result is to identify the one best candidate and at least one back up choice in the event the first choice elects to not accept your offer.

Why so important?

This is your team’s last chance to effectively determine the best fit for your particular open position.

Not unlike the first interview, to be effective, a structured interview process must be followed. The added complexity is that of the roles each interviewer will play and for what information they are responsible. Ad hoc is disappointment waiting to happen.

Page 9: Peak Focus Optimized Talent Acquisition and Development

Peak Focus LLC © 2011 • All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Recruit

Success: Completed recruitment of the candidate, and on terms which meet the needs of the company and the new recruit. Creating a complete recruitment package is essential. To efficiently answer anticipated questions about the opportunity, a single page outlining vital information is key.

A brief of the company, the position, the benefits (hard and soft, i.e., health benefits, flexible work hours) are important items to cover.

Don’t forget to include why a top caliber person would want to join your team. The best in their field want to join a team of winners, to know they’ll be appreciated and encouraged to grow by agreeing to come aboard.

Finding the core motivating factors for your candidate can help you craft the perfect package for them - and for you. No need for additional testing. Simply look no further than the HA Traits report and the Paradox report to find those keys. And, utilizing the How to Attract report will help your entire team know how to best engage this “must have” candidate. Priceless information at your fingertips.

Why so important?

Especially if recruiting from a pool of actively employed people, helping ideal candidates quickly recognize why they should join your company is a must.

Highly sought after candidates have little time and no patience for anything less than straightforward information. Give it to them.

Page 10: Peak Focus Optimized Talent Acquisition and Development

Peak Focus LLC © 2011 • All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Develop

Success: Sustained development of the new employee.

Once on board, this new hire is essential for your future growth and success. Human capital development is a must. Obviously this happens over a period of time. Ideally it would continue as long as the person works with your company.

McKinsey issued a report in 1997, “The War for Talent,” in which they detailed the critical nature of professional development of top talent as a competitive advantage. A decade-plus later, this is more applicable than ever before.

If an employee enjoys teaching (their HA Traits report will give you plenty of insight), as they become fully proficient with a particular skill or talent, give them an

opportunity to not only use it, but also to share it with their fellow teammates.

Outside help for development of your team is often essential for critical positions directly related to your competitive advantage. This is especially the case for your leadership and sales teams.

Especially in today’s climate, making the investment in your human capital should be considered equally (if not more so) important as investment in infrastructure or physical assets.

Why so important?

Professional training and development is the most solid path for developing deep loyalty and full participation by any employee.

The opportunity to learn, to become better and to self-direct is essential to retain top talent.

Page 11: Peak Focus Optimized Talent Acquisition and Development

Peak Focus LLC © 2011 • All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Next Steps

Success: Finding, hiring and developing your ultimate team.

Finding, hiring and developing your ultimate team shouldn’t just be a dream. It can be your reality, and we look forward to helping you build your dream team.

The Peak Focus team members are not only experts with the Harrison Assessment system, collectively we’ve built and developed a variety of executive and sales teams, across industries - for companies we personally owned and those with whom we simply had the pleasure of working.

We’re all about optimized performance! We believe in using the best tool for the job, and having experienced hands

using those tools. That’s why we developed this 8-step framework - to help companies of all sizes and stages, from start-ups to centuries old family-owned organizations, build and develop their executive and sales teams in the most efficient and intelligent way.

The perfect team member is just a few steps away. You really can get it right the first time - time and again. We’ll show you how.

Why so important?

We recognize:• the critical

nature of adding the right person to your team,

• the need to get it right the first time - that hiring mistakes are painful,

• the need to guard fiscal capital while developing your human capital, and

• the need for speed and function, but not at the sacrifice of the nuances of your company’s unique culture and path to success.

Page 12: Peak Focus Optimized Talent Acquisition and Development

Peak Focus LLC © 2011 • All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

About Peak Focus LLC PEOPLE. PERFORMANCE. PROFITABILITY.

Peak Focus gives you the tools to grow, develop and strengthen your team. With a mix of resources that we’ve created ourselves, as well as several powerful tools we’ve carefully assessed and believe in, we combine our passion and experience to guide companies and individuals toward optimized performance. Select your team members with confidence, help your key players develop their soft skills, and learn how to coach your entire team more effectively by engaging the experts at Peak Focus.

For more information and access to free resources, please visit our website at www.peakfocuscoach.com

For more information, tools and resources, visit www.peakfocuscoach.com or contact us directly:

Peak Focus LLC 1579F Monroe Drive Suite 517 Atlanta, Georgia 30324

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