How the Talent Acquisition Function Must Change to Remain Viable and Relevant Beyond 2010

ERE Fall, 2010

Winning the TA Leadership GameCarol Mahoney

four ways we allow our king to be captured...

✤ we have a plan but no strategy

✤ we lose our mojo

✤ we forget about the basics

✤ we stop innovating

first the strategy, then the plan...

presenting a plan without a strategy is like giving a european vacation to someone who needs a beach get-away... thoughtful? maybe. useful? not so much.

getting to a strategy

✦ start by defining the problem you’re trying to solve

✦ then figure out what to do about it

✦ the strategy answers the question: “how can this problem be solved”

what do you think of this plan?

❖ Hire 2 in-house executive recruiters

❖ Experienced Executive Recruiters with retained agency experience

❖ Create and implement recruiter incentives for pipeline development

❖ Create a branded, best-in-class executive recruiting process

❖ Q1 – Design and implement process

❖ Q2 – Q4 – Use stakeholder and candidate data to measure effectiveness

❖ Develop/implement a 30-60-90 day scorecard

❖ Red/Yellow/Green weekly updates

vp+ hiring

✦ Wasted Dollars

✦ Paid agency fees on 80% of hires last 3 years

✦ Agencies actually found 20% of the hires

✦ Key roles left unfilled impact revenue

✦ Executive new hires complain that the hiring process was slow, confusing, etc.

✦ Expect workload to stay steady for next 1-3 years

✦ p.s. Not a problem: Quality of hires, cost of hire, onboarding

the problem

✤ Improve the hiring experience of all executive candidates so that they begin with a positive impression of the company

✤ Build in-house executive search function to support bread-and-butter executive roles

✤ Spend search dollars internally to make search process better, faster and, eventually, more cost-effective. Divert search dollars to fund in-house team

✤ Incentivize recruiters to proactively tap and nurture rich network of executive relationships

✤ Create branded executive candidate process. Ensure that improvements to processes have neutral or positive impact on quality of executive hires

the strategy

now the plan makes sense

❖ Hire 2 in-house executive recruiters

❖ Experienced Executive Recruiters with retained agency experience

❖ Create and implement recruiter incentives for pipeline development

❖ Create a branded, best-in-class executive recruiting process

❖ Q1 – Design and implement process

❖ Q2 – Q4 – Use stakeholder and candidate data to measure effectiveness

❖ Develop/implement a 30-60-90 day scorecard

❖ Red/Yellow/Green weekly updates

chart the right course...

we are not just req-fillers...

it’s a talent acquisition strategy that sets us apart

take back your power...

stuff we do for good reasons...but doesn’t help us

we stand in the shadow of our

directs

we give up our seat to a colleague

we allow our results to speak for

themselves

we assume the work of an

overloaded team

TA leader...HEAL THYSELF

❖ put on the oxygen mask first

❖ stay connected with the executive team

❖ take on executive hires

❖ personally on-board new executives

❖ meet with exec. team quarterly

❖ get out of the office

❖ use social media

how recruiting buzz words obscure our message: a case study

carol vs. the ceo

✦ Lead Generation

✦ Candidate Development

✦ Candidate Qualification

✦ Managing the process

✦ Closing the candidates

✦ Dispositioning the candidates

✦ Find

✦ Filter

✦ Hire

but wait...there’s more

✦ Recruiter Sourced

✦ External Referral

✦ Employee Referral

✦ LinkedIn

✦ Applied on jobsite

✦ Job postings

✦ College

✦ Job Fairs

✦ Events

✦ PR

✦ Found Us

✦ Found Them

✦ Referred

get your mojo back

❖ don’t “martyr-out”

❖ stand up for yourself

❖ work on your confidence

❖ be known as a leader...not a recruiting wonk

pay attention to “the basics”...

basic #1 and our raison d'être: right talent, right time, right place

emphasis on:

right talentright time

2010 Copyright, Checkster LLC

How to impact Quality?

2010 Copyright, Checkster LLC

Better Assessment is the Largest Opportunity

Impact on pro!t for a 10% improvement in each category, as per Egon Zehnder, 2007.

Typical external spending

80%

20%

Impact 3X

right talent...

❖ better interviewing (preventative)

❖ working sessions/simulations

❖ drive active participation by hiring team (accountability for hires)

❖ better reference checking (e.g. Checkster)

❖ better follow-up after the hire (also Checkster)

right time....

❖ recruit “req-lessly” build talent communities

❖ pipeline ahead of the req.

❖ awesome, resourceful and scrappy recruiting team

❖ work smarter not harder

❖ it’s not just about a funnel

❖ this is where social media is your friend

basic #2: managing well ... simple but priceless

they know what’s expected of them

they know how they’re doing

you ask how to help them get better

rinse and repeat

the team

they know what to expect from TA

they get insight into results

you ask them for feedback

rinse and repeat

the clients

block and tackle

✦ req-by-req, focus area-by-focus area, project-by project review – often and regularly

✦ hiring managers:

✦ don’t assume that no news is good news

✦ hold them accountable too

✦ facilitate disputes

✦ establish regular reporting – emphasis: transparency and accountability (and trending)

innovate or die...

THE WALLPAPER…

the story of the “O”-Pad

❖ loaner iPad for all interviewees on “day of”

❖ mission: to architect the candidate experience

❖ inform

❖ entertain

❖ engage

❖ occupy :-)

Yeah! Letʼs do this

Welcome to Opower!

Interview Schedule for Debbie Mayer (General Application)

Interview Schedule for Susie SmithOctober 28, 2010

Interviewer! Time !Where ! !

Group Presentation! 9:00AM – 10:00AM! Conf. #7Sue 10:00AM – 11:00AM! Alex’s Office

John! 11:00AM – 12:00 pm Conf. #2 Carol/Short Break 12:00PM – 12:30PM! Conf. #2 Scott (Product Demo) 12:30PM – 1:00PM Conf. #2

Lunch! 1:00PM – 2:00PM! Off Site

Our Latest Video: Fruit Juggling in the Kitchen

De-coding the Symbols

Pluggie…with a testosterone burst

The Bell “ask not for whom it tolls…”

The “gong”

Itʼs not just a scooter…

itʼs an “f-ing” HEALTH HAZARD

Self-Explanatory

• OPOWER COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL : DO NOT DISTRIBUTE

You and the DMV

• OPOWER COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL : DO NOT DISTRIBUTE

3 Hours Free in Arlington? Visit these great attractions! 

•Arlington National Cemetery•The Pentagon•Air Force Memorial•The Newseum•Pentagon City

SURVEY TO OUR CANDIDATES

summing it up...

we rock

❖ have a strategy

❖ work on your confidence

❖ don’t forget the basics

❖ innovation is your friend