Star Staffing’s first-ever Talent and Recruiting Conference on March 28, 2018, earned 5 stars. One attendee shared that “It was the best recruiting conference I have ever attended. I walked away with takeaways that could be implemented immediately. The speakers were some of the best I’ve ever heard.”
Candidate scarcity seems to be the number one issue for recruiters and managers. With an unemployment rate of 4.3% in California, recruiting has become the top priority for not only Human Resource professionals but also CEOs. With the talent shortage, most recruiting processes end up being less about hiring the best person out there and more about hiring the best person standing at the end of the process. The Talent and Recruiting conference left attendees with what can be done so that you’re hiring the best person, not just the last one standing at the end of the process
In case you missed out on our Talent and Recruiting conference, here are just a few tips our attendees walked away with.
A deeply engaged staff is the secret to success. Jennifer Johnston of Salesforce shared that companies and leadership must focus on employees just as you would focus on your customers. Always be thinking about the employee’s journey and experience, and how you can improve it. If employees don’t have a sense of purpose, you will know that there is work needed on company culture.
Interviewing should be focused on listening, not on speaking. That no more than 20% of an interview should include the interviewer speaking was a key point made by Jeanne-Marie Grumet of Communications Catalysts. In addition to stellar listening skills, interviewing skills should include good eye contact, empathy, and follow-through. Practice your skills and constantly look for ways to improve to provide the best candidate experience possible.
Being entrenched in the community is a powerful recruiting tool. The expert panel focused on recruiting techniques and methods included Mickele Carpenter of Amy’s Kitchen, Teresa Castillo of Star Staffing and Will Thorn of Redwood Credit Union. Each panelist had a unique view of common themes of community engagement, valuing employee feedback, and the need to be transparent. Getting to know each employee by name and treating them with respect was shared as a large part of retaining top talent. Investing in your community takes time, genuine care, and character; but, your reputation as an employer will precede you in ways you couldn’t even anticipate… and for years to come.
Focus on four pillars of HR activity that each play a crucial role: hiring, developing, performing, and engaging. Debi Farey of Ameritech Financial shared her success working with Star Staffing and getting the chance to hire employees on a temp-to-hire basis to ensure it’s a good fit for both parties. Offering ongoing training and feedback along with developing employees creates a successful relationship. Holding employees accountable for their own success and supporting that journey will ultimately bring success to all.
Understanding the current workforce and what motivates your employees will result in better hires and matches for both companies and employees. Margaret Graziano of Keen Alignment stressed that people no longer need companies ― companies need people. Talent management system is crucial to success and it is important to understand the families of engagement, which include environment, relationship, support, growth, and compensation. Each plays a key part in an employee’s success and much of it has to do with the relationship with leadership, especially with direct managers. Margaret reminded us that managers need training too on how to be a good manager. Everyone deserves to keep learning, so don’t forget your managers.
There are far too many tips to include in just one blog! In case you missed the conference, speaker slides are now available on our newly updated website. Please check them out for even more information!
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