Human Resources

Winning the War for Talent – Part 2

The interviews have finished, the offer has been made, the candidate has accepted. You can now relax, or can you? In the War for Talent, the battle continues….

In this second article on Winning the War for Talent we will focus on the time from when the candidate accepts your role until the time they arrive and settle in.

Firstly, there’s the counter-offer from their current employer. You’ve just secured top talent, your competitor doesn’t want to lose them and they will undertake a range of tactics to prevent them from leaving.

Promises of additional assignments and promotions will be made. Training and further opportunities will be outlined. Fond memories will be recalled and loyalties requested. Legal action may even be threatened, citing confidentiality and non-compete clauses. A number of people will be involved from direct managers and colleagues through to senior management and phone calls from head office. Everyone will be asking the candidate to stay and they will be on an emotional roller coaster.

As the prospective employer, in this War for Talent, what can you do? Firstly stay close to the candidate after the offer has been made. Throughout the interview process you have asked a number of probing questions and you’ve obtained a good understanding of the candidate’s motivators and career aspirations. Before the candidate starts with you speak with them or informally catch up and continue to discuss their motivators and aspirations. Demonstrate that you are committed to their professional development and that the interview process was not just a lot of good sounding noise. This is not the time to exaggerate your own company’s offerings but rather to have a candid discussion around the benefits of joining your organization. Honestly assure them that you will be offering them an environment to enhance their skill set and provide additional opportunities.

Reference checking also plays an important role in ensuring a successful transition. A past employer is asked: “We’ve decided to employ XX, what do we need to be thinking about to ensure a successful induction into our company? How do they relate to new people, how do they form new friendships? What is their preferred working style? How do they handle stress and conflict? How will we know if they are over-loaded? What specific signals will they be giving out….and then go on to say “We want to make sure that the first few months are successful – what else should we be doing or thinking about” This level of probing offers substantial insight into the candidate’s preferred working style and social coping mechanisms.

Day 1 arrives and the new employee starts. Is everything ready? Companies who continually win the War for Talent will have sent out introductory emails outlining the new employee’s background, new responsibilities and where they fit into the organization. The desk, stationery, business cards will have been organized and the computer and email will be operational. There will be a departmental function to welcome the new employee and everyone will be friendly, helpful and supportive. Sounds easy, however so frequently this doesn’t happen. The computer and business cards aren’t ready, the interviewing manager is away traveling, and a number of people come up to the new employee and ask: “So what will you be doing here”; or “I didn’t think you were starting so soon”. The new employee struggles through the first day and instead of going home excited with lots of news they are despondent and start to question the move.

The induction period is a very important time for new employees. A good induction involves a review of the company’s policies, procedures and manuals, intensive training in the ‘tools of the trade’, and introductions to other departments. It also involves the manager sitting with the new employee and thoroughly going over the job description and discussing key outcomes expected to be achieved, the key performance indicators, targets and the time period to achieve these targets together with the resources and infrastructure to assist.

Clear communication at this stage will prevent any misunderstandings during the induction period. There are many occasions when an employee will complain that they are being asked to do a different job than the one they interviewed for. Clearly outlining the job and clarifying expectations early on will assist in the assimilation of the new employee into your company and will ensure that they will become more productive faster.

It is always important to devote the time to helping employees settle into a new job. Common complaints are that the induction was too hasty – a quick tour of the office and straight to work; inadequate – “you’ve done this job before so you know what to do”; or boring and isolationist – sitting in the training room for many weeks with training manuals and SOPs.

Top companies in the War for Talent focus on the socialization of the new employee into the organization. They assign both a buddy/colleague to explain the operational side of the business and a senior mentor to guide the new employee through the myriad of formal and informal networks. This senior mentor has likely been with the company for many years and may not even be in the new employee’s department. They can advise on the company’s code of norms and values – what is acceptable and what is not.

There is currently a War for Talent and it certainly isn’t over when the employee accepts the offer and signs the contract. Many factors come into play during the few months from interview to integration and many of these are under the manageable control of the new employer. In order to win the next round in the War for Talent it is necessary to be aware of these factors and to address them proactively.

Part 1

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