Should you hire someone because they fit a checklist or because of intended outcomes?

From the desk of Miles Everson:

Hi!

Welcome to today’s edition of “Return Driven Strategy (RDS).” I’m excited to share another insight with you in this article.

For those of you who are not yet familiar with this, RDS is a pyramid-shaped framework with 11 tenets and 3 foundations. When applied properly, these principles help businesses gain high levels of performance.

Let’s apply this framework in the context of recruitment.

Curious to know more?

Keep reading below!

Should you hire someone because they fit a checklist or because of intended outcomes?

Today’s workforce is undergoing seismic shifts due to demographic changes, technological innovations spurred by artificial intelligence (AI), economic and geopolitical disruptions, and changing worker sentiment.

Even though the jobs market has shown signs of cooling as companies pump the brakes on hiring, vacancies continue to remain high as the older generation of workers continue to exit the workforce.

This doesn’t only lead to a shrinking headcount, but also to an exodus of skills and specialized talent.

Simply said, the talent crunch is real, leading enterprises to battle against each other to attract and retain top talent.

… but, how exactly should business leaders and recruitment managers approach recruitment in today’s talent-starved jobs market?

The answer is simple : They must rethink their talent acquisition and retention strategy .

A Transactional Approach

For far too long, hiring managers have adopted a transactional mindset in finding and retaining talent, leading applicants to get over just because they don’t meet certain criteria.

A recruiter would often cross candidates off a list based solely on skills required, educational background, demographic, certification, and professional experience.

While hiring based on these criteria isn’t entirely flawed, this approach reinforces the idea that roles fit within predefined boxes.

On the contrary, today’s roles are much more fluid due to the fact that workers are no longer mere cogs who fit in a finely-tuned machine.

These professionals possess skills that exceed what’s needed for their role, putting them in a position to deliver more value in various capacities within an organization.

Simply said, the workers of the present are change drivers who go on to drive similar changes elsewhere once they’ve gotten the job done.

So, in a market experiencing a real talent crunch, adopting a transactional mindset in talent acquisition and retention is severely limiting.

Relying on AI for Recruitment

Unfortunately, emerging technologies such as AI haven’t helped as recruiters have increasingly relied on it when screening candidates.

Since its surge in popularity, AI has been seen as a potential game changer in recruitment because AI tools have the capability to analyze candidate profiles based on job requirements and other criteria.

While this frees up time spent on recruitment-related tasks, utilizing AI to screen applicants isn’t a surefire way of assessing candidate viability since these AI-powered tools eliminate prospects based information provided by humans.

As a result, the problem inherent in the transactional model of hiring is compounded on a much bigger scale.

Rethinking Talent Acquisition and Retention

In a market that’s facing a talent crunch that’s poised to last for years, business leaders and hiring managers must change how they acquire and retain talent.

This means businesses must hire based on who can enable them to achieve intended outcomes, not on whether a prospect checks the right boxes.

Professor Joel Litman and Dr. Mark L. Frigo in the book, “Driven” emphasized the importance of engaging employees and identifying the services the firm needs based on its competencies and goals.

If business leaders want to remain competitive, they should flip the script on how talents are hired and retained.

By doing so, they can position their companies as a client of choice for workers who are dedicated to driving change and delivering value wherever they work.

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If you’re looking to gain a better understanding of Return Driven Strategy and Career Driven Strategy, we highly recommend checking out “Driven” by Professor Litman and Dr. Frigo.

Click here to get your copy and learn how this framework can help you in your business strategies and ultimately, in ethically maximizing wealth for your firm.

Hope you found this week’s insights interesting and helpful.

EXCITING NEWS AHEAD

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With that, I’m happy to share with you that my book, co-authored with Walter Scott Lamb, is now available for pre-order on Amazon!

This is an essential read for both independent professionals and corporate executives. Here, we provide educational and practical guides to unpack the ever-growing workforce and offer you crucial ways to become a client of choice.

Click on the link above to pre-order your copy. Let this book help you future-proof your career and organization in the new world of work.

Stay tuned for next Tuesday’s Return Driven Strategy!

In the fiercely competitive landscape of global business where countless companies strive to thrive, only a select few consistently rise above the rest.

Learn more about the Danaher Business System (DBS) through the lens of RDS’ 1st foundation in next week’s article!