TALENT ACQUISITION

OVERVIEW TALENT ACQUISITION
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Talent Management Model
Vision, Mission, Strategy and Values
Talent Management Strategy
Talent Acquisition
Sourcing, Selection and Onboarding
Talent Development
Performance Management, Career Development,
Leadership Development and Succession Planning
Talent Assessment and Alignment
Internal Mobility and Workforce Planning

Talent Acquisition
What is it?
Talent Acquisition is the
process of attracting,
finding, and selecting highly
talented individuals (those
who align with the business
strategy, possess required
competencies, and who will
integrate smoothly and
productively into the
organization and its culture)
to meet current and future
employment needs.
Employment
Brand
Definition of Need
Sourcing
Selection
Pre-Boarding

Why is it important?
• The Commonwealth must have the right people to
fill the right needs at the right time.
– Success: Effective Acquisition sets the stage for the
success of the agency and the employee.
– Cost: Multiple sources identify the cost of a bad hire as
1.5 to 3 times/salary.
– Opportunity Loss: The amount of time a need is left
unfilled results in opportunities unrealized and costs
incurred.

Employment Branding
What Is An Employment Brand?
– An employer’s brand is the image seen through the eyes of employees
and potential hires.
– Employment branding is the employer’s unique traits and
characteristics that are valued by employees and prospective
employees and is used as part of the employer’s marketing strategy.
– It is the way an organization distinguishes itself internally and
externally.
How Does An Organization Create an Employment Brand?
Employment is a 2-way partnership; the employer and prospective employee sell each
other an employment proposition. As part of creating this proposition, an employer
needs to understand its current and future audience and how this audience intersects with
what the employer is and what it hopes to achieve. The employment brand will allow the
organization to know what it is “selling” and will help candidates know what they may be
“purchasing” in terms of potential commitment.

Definition of Need & Sourcing
 What is Sourcing?
– Determining the most effective places to find the talent needed
– Includes internal and external sources
– The process includes announcing the job’s availability to the
market and identifying and attracting qualified candidates to apply.
– Includes traditional techniques like advertisements, job fairs and
postings
– Also includes techniques like social networking, finding passive
candidates, and targeted functional searches
Effective Sourcing First Requires Accurately Defined Needs
An employer must first define what need exists and then determine what
types of talent it requires to fulfill that need.

Selection
 The process used to choose the
best talent to make the best fit
with the organization.
 The process involves:
– Interviewing to reveal certain
desired characteristics;
– measuring applicants on those
characteristics; and
– extending an employment offer
Tips & Tools
Common Types of Interviews
•Behavioral – based upon the
premise that past behavior is the
best predictor of future behavior
•Situational – based upon
hypothetical situations and the
candidates’ responses
•Traditional – basic questions usually
centered around education,
experience, skills…
•Technical – focused on specific skill
and knowledge needs for a particular
function or field

Pre-Boarding
• Pre-Boarding is the process of beginning the
integration of a new hire into the new organization
and work team.
– Begins as soon as the employee is offered and accepts the
position
– Should immediately connect the employee to the agency
via the supervisor, human resources, and the work
buddy/mentor as the primary points of contact
– Initiates the process for the employee’s workstation,
equipment, supplies, technology and online access

Talent Acquisition Operational Workflow
Requisition Process
Sourcing
Application Process
Screening and Interviewing
Employment Offers Notification of
Non-selection

How to measure the success of talent
acquisition strategies
Quality of Hire Percentage of new hires that were the organization’s top
choice
Quality of Candidates The ability of the organization to define the knowledge,
skills and abilities needed to succeed in the job and work
environment and to source candidates that meet the
competencies
Program Satisfaction Hiring manager satisfaction with the recruitment and hiring
process and quality of candidates
Time-to-Hire The time it takes to hire a candidate to fill a position from
job open until the position is offered and accepted
New Hire Retention Rate The number of new hires who remain on the job for the first
12 to 18 months
New Hire Failure Rate The percentage of new hires in key jobs that were
terminated or asked to leave
New Hire Retention Rate The number of new hires who remain on the job for the first
12 to 18 months
Performance Ratings of “Contributor” or
“Extraordinary Contributor”
Whether top candidates meet or exceed expectations on
performance reviews

Additional tips
Talent Acquisition Strategies
Best Practices:
• Proactively build and expand the pool of candidates.
• Seek to fill positions internally, if applicable.
• Improve candidates’ pre-screening process.
• Enhance employer brand and reputation in the recruiting market place.
• Explore new marketing outlets using Internet-based technologies (i.e.,
social networking sites) to reach passive candidates and targeted groups.
• Create efficiencies in recruitment processes and workflows.
• Obtain input from hiring managers.
• Solicit new hire feedback.
• Emphasize strategic workforce planning beyond 18-months.
• Scale back or freeze talent acquisition efforts, when the need arises.

Recruitment vs Talent Acquisition
• The easy part of the answer is to define
“recruiting”. It is nothing more than filling
open positions. It is an entirely tactical event.
• Strategic Talent Acquisition takes a long-term
view of not only filling positions today, but
using the candidates that come out of a
recruiting campaign as a means to fill similar
positions in the future.
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Talent acquisition Elements
• Talent acquisition includes recruiting, but it is inclusive of other strategic elements
as follows.
• Talent Acquisition Planning & Strategy – ensures business alignment, examines
workforce plans, requires an understanding of the labor markets, and looks at
global considerations.
• Workforce Segmentation – requires an understanding of the different workforce
segments and positions within these segments, as well as the skills, competencies,
and experiences necessary for success.
• Employment Branding – includes activities that help to uncover, articulate and
define a company’s image, organizational culture, key differentiators, reputation,
and products and services. Employment branding can help advance the market
position of organizations, attract quality candidates and depict what it is truly like
to work for that organization.
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• Candidate Audiences – necessitates defining and understanding the
audiences in which an organization needs to source for specific
roles. Different sourcing strategies should be applied based on the
understanding of the jobs and where the audiences will come from to fill
them.
• Candidate Relationship Management – includes building a positive
candidate experience, managing candidate communities, and maintaining
relationships for those candidates not selected.
• Metrics & Analytics – is the continuous tracking and use of key metrics to
drive continuous improvement and to make better recruitment decisions,
to ultimately improve the quality of hire.
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In-source vs Outsource
Insource Recruiting Model
The insource model is when all hiring functions are conducted by internal
resources. This is typically the default model, one that all companies start
with before deciding whether or not to bring in a recruitment process
outsourcing firm or a recruitment company for help. The insource model is
also the one that could have the most internal recruiting pressures, such
as reduced staff, increased candidate volume or quality, and the need to
learn and to utilize the latest recruiting techniques.
• "Do a deep cost/benefit analysis of each model," Taylor said. "Success in
this space depends on coming up with answers to the right questions."
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In-source vs Outsource
• Outsource Recruiting Model
This model is the complete opposite of the insource model,
where all hiring functions are conducted by an external RPO
provider. Usually, this means an end-to-end RPO solution, or a
single project solution to meet a specific hiring need. The
outsource model may be best for incredibly large companies
that are constantly hiring and sourcing for talent, or for
handling corporate recruiting pressures. Corporate recruiting
pressures include a reduced cost per hire, increased strategic
demand and the need to achieve certain diversity targets.
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In-source vs Outsource
Co-Source Recruiting Model
If a company does bring in an RPO firm, this is the model most opt for,
where the recruiting needs and tasks are split between internal sources
and the RPO firm. Co-sourcing is the combinations of the insourced and
outsourced models, utilizing the best of both models to meet needs. The
split can be based on individual positions, location, or expansion/seasonal
spikes in hiring. This model is the best for addressing external recruiting
pressures, such as increased competition for top talent, the changing
sourcing landscape for candidates, and a possible lack of qualified
candidates for certain types of positions.
Sometimes, it may take a change in the recruiting model itself,
determining what the company has and what the company would need to
make the fix. Each one is different, and choosing the right one will depend
on each business and its recruiting needs.
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Talent Acquisition Perspectives
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Improve The Process
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Acquiring Talent
Sourcing talent is the process to generate a pool of qualified
candidates for a particular job. The organization must
announce the job’s availability to the market and attract
qualified candidates to apply. The organization may seek
applicants from inside the organization, outside the
organization or both.
Talent selection is the process to make a “hire” or “no hire”
decision about each applicant for a job. The process usually
involves determining the characteristics required for
effective job performance, interviewing, and then measuring
applicants on those characteristics.

What’s the Business Case?
 What is the business case for effective
talent acquisition?
 What are the costs of acquiring the wrong
talent?

Key Assumptions
“Organizations need to get the right people
on the bus and in the right seats to
succeed.”
“Good coaching, training, mentoring, etc.,
is not likely to make up for bad selection.”
“Hire hard….Manage easy!”
Collins, J. (2001). Good to great. New York: HarperCollins.

Acquisition Workflow
 Requisition process.
 Sourcing.
 Application process.
 Screening and interviewing.
 Acquisition.
 Employment offers.

Sourcing Candidates
 College recruiting.
 Newspapers.
 Recruiting services.
 Web sites.
 Trade journals.
 Temp-to-hire.

Important Considerations
Person-Job Fit: The match between a person’s
knowledge, skills and abilities and the requirements
(competencies) of a specific job (“demands-ability
fit”).
Related to higher performance and lower turnover.
Person-Organization Fit: The congruence of an
individual’s personality, beliefs and values with the
culture, norms and values of the organization.
Related to job satisfaction, commitment
and turnover.

Person-Job Fit Analysis
 Review core competencies (knowledge, skills,
and attributes) for the position.
 Observe or ask someone doing the same or a
similar job to help validate.
 List and prioritize the essential and desirable
competencies.
 Essentials: The job cannot be performed without these essential
KSAs (e.g., experience running X, Y, and Z reports in Siebel’s CRM
application).
 Desirables: Not essential to perform the job, but can be used to
differentiate candidates (e.g., fluent in German).

Person-Organization Fit

Person-Organization Fit
 Personality and work group (cultural fit):
Conscientiousness (careful, hardworking, organized, etc.)
Agreeable (cooperative, good-natured, tolerant, etc.)
Extroversion (sociable, gregarious, talkative, etc.)
Emotional stability (anger, worry, insecurity, etc.)
Openness to experience (flexible, curious, open to ideas,
etc.)
 Personal values and organization values.
 Personal interests and organization opportunities.
 Expectations and rewards.
 Followership and management style.

Selection Methods
 Interviews.
 Ability tests.
 Personality tests .
 Integrity tests.

Your Interview Experience
Think about your best or worst interview. Envision
yourself in the office or conference room where the
interview took place.
Was the room hot or cold?
Were you comfortable or uncomfortable?
What was your first impression of the person who
interviewed you?
What type of questions did the person ask? How much
did you know about the organization or the job?

Halo and Recency Effect
The halo effect is the tendency to attribute
positive traits to a person with whom you have
something in common. This leads to hiring
people most like yourself and not necessarily
the best person for the job.
The recency effect is the tendency to focus your
attention on the most recent candidates
because they are freshest in your memory.

Interview Questions
 Behavioral Interview: Applicants are asked to give specific
examples of how they have performed a certain task or handled
a problem in the past.
Behavioral questions typically begin with “Tell me
about a time when…” or “Can you think of....”
 Situational Interview: Applicants are asked how they would
respond to a specific job situation related to the content of the
job they are seeking.
Any job-relevant question that begins with “What
would you do if…" or “How would you handle…."

Interview Questions
 Behavioral Questions:
 Can you describe a time when you had to manage a heavy
workload or a number of conflicting priorities?
Competencies: work under pressure and ability to prioritize.
 Can you tell me about a time when you improved a process
or made a system work better? Competency: innovation.
 Situational Questions:
 A work colleague told you in confidence that she suspects
another colleague of stealing. What would your actions be?
Competencies: ethics and problem solving.
 How do you respond to a peer who is preventing your team
from completing its project? Competencies: leadership and
dedication to goals.

Leading Questions
Examples of leading questions:
 It’s important that people work collaboratively with others on
projects. Are you a team player? Do you work well with
others?
 We like to have employees who are on time to work and
meetings. Do you arrive to work on time? Do you find it
difficult to make it to meetings on time?
 You will have responsibility for a department of five people.
Does this appeal to you?

Interviewing Worksheet
Step 1: List Job
Dimensions
Step 2: Develop
Interview Questions
Step 3: Cite the
Candidate’s
Experience
List and prioritize 5-10
of the most important
dimensions or
competencies of the
job.
Develop questions to probe
how well the individual aligns
with the job dimensions.
Provide evidence for
how the candidate
aligns.
Candidate: _________________ Position: _______________

The Interview
 Put the person at ease to establish rapport.
 Explain the interview structure.
 Ask your questions and really listen to the candidate’s responses.
 Take notes.
 Describe the job and sell the organization.
 Answer candidate’s questions.
 Discuss the next steps.

Listening Tips
 Avoid being distracted.
 Spend at least 80 percent of the time listening and 20 percent
talking.
 Don’t interrupt the candidate (unless they are rambling).
 Ask follow-up questions to get clarity.
 Observe the candidate’s nonverbal expressions.
 Use nonverbal expressions to show interest.
 Listen for “free” information.

Note Taking
 Do not use signs, symbols or words that indicate race, gender,
age, disability, sexual preference or religion.
 Record specifics as they relate to job responsibilities.
 Record favorable and unfavorable responses to create a
balanced image.
 Spend some time after the interview polishing your notes.
 Take notes consistently.

Closing the Interview
 Describe the decision-making process and time frame.
 Ask: “Is there anything else you would like me to tell you
about the position or the organization?”
 Explain that a background check will be conducted if the
candidate is considered further.
 Give the candidate your business card and encourage them to
call if they have questions.
 Thank the candidate.

Candidate Evaluation
 Ensures that you and others evaluate candidates on the same
job-related criteria.
 Guides you through the process of making a hiring decision
when several candidates appear to be qualified.
 Allows you to document the specific reasons why you did or
did not offer the position to each candidate.

Evaluation Worksheet (One)
Applicant Name Employee # Interview Date
Unqualified Borderline Qualified
List in priority the most important job dimensions:
1.
Comments:
2.
Comments:
3.
Comments:
4.
Comments:

Evaluation Worksheet
Evaluation Criteria:
 Unqualified: The candidate shows little or no capacity to
perform the duties of the position and/or is not a good fit for
the organization.
 Borderline: The candidate shows some capacity to perform
the duties but is a questionable fit for the organization.
 Qualified: The candidate has performed the duties and is a
good fit for the organization.

Evaluation Worksheet (Two)
Candidates Primary
Qualifications
Has five years
experience in…
Certifications Problem
Solving
Has the
ability to…
Initiative
Takes the
initiative to…
Leadership
Demonstrates
an ability to…
Joe
Mary
Karla