TALiNT International US Issue 1

Issue 1

Putting the ‘I’ in DE&I Plus...

• The Uber era of talent • The rise and rise of RPOs • The importance of the employer brand in TA

A culture of belonging is key to attracting and retaining diverse talent

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TALiNT International US Issue 1

Leader

First and foremost...

Welcome to the first US issue of TALiNT International! Over the last few months, our team has made the giant leap across the Pond and into the US talent eco-system and have hosted a series of in-person roundtables and dinners that facilitated the sharing of insights, trends and challenges.

Over the last two years, during the pandemic, we’ve heard the phrases: “we’re all in the same boat,” and “we’re in this together” over and over again while the global population adjusted and adapted to unprecedented circumstances.

Much like in the UK, the US is experiencing similar phenomena of skills shortages, mass resignations (termed the Great Resignation), and a move to permanent work-from-anywhere models – putting both countries firmly “in the same boat” when it comes to talent trends.

Sitting down with talent leaders from HR Tech, Talent Acquisition and Talent Solutions providers across the US during the last few weeks has shone a light on US talent trends and challenges that we’re pleased to be able to share with you in this issue. We’ll be running similar events and roundtables in the coming months, both virtually and in-person, that will bring together TA and TS leaders who will share their knowledge, experience and insight into one of the most dynamic and challenged talent markets we’ve seen in decades.

We love to engage with our readers, so please get in touch. If you have news to share, a feature you’d like us to consider publishing or if you’d like to advertise in this bi-monthly publication, please email me at debbie@talintpartners.com.

I hope you find this first issue an engaging and informative read. The team has thoroughly enjoyed producing it.

“Sitting down with talent leaders from HR Tech, Talent Acquisition and Talent Solutions providers across the US during the last few weeks has shone a light on US talent trends and challenges that we’re pleased to be able to share with you in this issue.”

Debbie Walton, Editor, TALiNT International

About TALiNT Partners TALiNT Partners provides insight, content, connections and strategic support to the world’s recruitment & talent acquisition leaders.

We work hard to connect, collaborate and concentrate our efforts to ensure our events, experiences, consultancy and media solutions offer the best support for the talent industry.

Published by Talent Intelligence Partners Ltd Casa Court Great George Street Godalming GU7 1DX www.talintpartners.com Editorial: debbie@talintpartners.com News & features: debbie@talintpartners.com Advertising & Sponsorship: andy@talintpartners.com Design: annabelle@talintpartners.com

TALiNT International US Issue 1

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Contents

Contributors

07 A jump across The Pond TALiNT International arrives in the USA

10 News analysis

• US jobs up by 678,000 • Young workers enjoy the biggest pay boost

11 Broad shoulders of TA TA roles are changing on a dime

Ray Culver TALiNT Partners P11

Chris Farmer Salesforce P12

Judy Ellis AMS P16

Sherika Ekpo Anaplan P16

Liz Freedman IHG Hotels & Reports P16

Kwarme Asare Resource Solutions P18

Sarah Keady Resource Solutions P18

Sudhakar Maruvada WorkLlama P22

12 Interview with TS TIARA judge

Chris Farmer talked to TI about re-skilling and future-proofing the workforce

14 The rise and rise of RPOs The Talent Solutions Power List 2022

16 Putting the ‘I’ into DE&I

The challenges of hiring a diverse workforce in a talent-scarce market

18 Bold brands

The importance on the employer in TA

22 Brand almighty

Finding talent in a talent-scarce market

24 TALiNT Talk

The State of the (Recruiting) Nation

Picture credits: iStock, Unsplash, Canva Disclaimer: This publication has been prepared for the exclusive use and benefit of the readers of TALiNT International and other contacts of TALiNT Partners and is for information purposes only. Unless we provide express prior written consent, no part of this publication should be reproduced, distributed, or communicated to any third party. You must not rely on the information in this publication as an alternative to advice from an appropriately qualified professional. In no event shall TALiNT Partners or any of those contributing to this publication be liable for any special, direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence, or other tort, arising out of or in connection with the contents of this publication. © Talent Intelligence Partners

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TALiNT International US Issue 1

Barbara Blevens LexisNexis Risk Solutions P22

Brian Fink Twitter P22

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TALiNT International US Issue 1

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TALiNT International US Issue 1

Ken Brotherston Chief Executive Officer, TALiNT Partners

A jump across The Pond Welcome to the very first issue of TALiNT International USA. Our magazine has a long and illustrious history – starting as the Interviewer in 1988 before evolving into Recruitment International in the 90s and then into TALiNT International in 2018.

But whatever the title, we have always tried to bring meaningful, relevant information to the recruitment community and, as the function has evolved, to executives in talent acquisition, resourcing, recruitment outsourcing, total talent solutions and talent technology.

Our mission at TALiNT Partners is to help the world’s leading and most agile organizations to make better strategic decisions and optimize technology to achieve their talent objectives.

Our vendor program enables vendors across the talent ecosystem to design and deliver the best solutions and differentiate their brand to the most targeted audiences.

As we get into our stride in 2022, the market is scary and exciting in equal measure. Last year was a one-off with chronic and acute talent shortages colliding to create an unprecedented level of demand for talent to the point where even staffing firms and recruitment outsource providers were turning business away (The art of saying no report).

However, whilst 2022 may not be as mission critical as the last eighteen months, it will still be hugely important. This will be the year where employers’ responses to the disruption of the recent past will become evident: policies on unvaccinated workers, flexible and remote working strategies, switching to the importance of skills rather than experience and how these impact attrition and attraction will all be brought into focus. For those employers who have got it right (or at least not as wrong as many others), there will be a dividend in the form of a more stable employee base with a resultant increase in productivity and competitiveness.

The biggest question for many of us is: “How long is the current market going to last?”

The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics to the end of December shows a market broadly unchanged from the previous month, although interestingly the number of employees quitting was down.

Was this because of the time of the year or the beginning of the end of ‘The Great Resignation’?

Although, our view is that this was always overstated in the first place (it looks like a large number of ‘quits’ in the fall were simply employees giving up second jobs, as furlough came to an end, which makes much more sense).

So, whilst there isn’t a simple answer as to when the market will cool, for everyone involved in hiring it does seem prudent to try and look beyond the current (quite possibly terrifying) number of open requisitions and at least think about the implications for a slowing employment market.

My own guess is that we will run hot until the summer and then start to notice certain industry or job-family roles slow down more rapidly in Q3/4. Certain industries will have much longer to run – the green economy is only just getting going and tourism and travel clearly have a long way to go to get back to pre-pandemic levels.

But nevertheless, the speed with which demand increased in late 2020 can easily go in the opposite direction if, for example, inflation really does take hold.

So, whilst we will hopefully avoid 2021’s relentless pressure to deliver, there is still important work to be done. Everyone involved in recruitment and resourcing more than proved their worth last year and will have another opportunity to do the same again this year, but perhaps with a more strategic approach. But whatever lies ahead I confidently predict it won’t be dull and we hope to showcase the most interesting insights and features to keep you up to date and informed. Happy reading.

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TALiNT scene TALiNT Partners hosted our first ever in-person dinners in the US during the month of February. We were fortunate enough to share industry insights, tips and challenges for the talent landscape and we even made time for a glass of wine...

Wednesday 23rd February 2022: TALiNT Partners in partnership with WorkLlama hosted a number of talent leaders to discuss attracting high quality talent by leveraging the employer brand! It was great first foray into the US talent scene. We debated, discussed, enjoyed dinner and even had a few glasses of wine. Read the full review on page 22.

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Thursday 24th February 2022: We headed back to the wonderful Del Fisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse in Atlanta, except this time co-hosting the roundtable dinner with AMS. Dinner was great. The conversation even better and we can’t wait for the next dinner.

Read about the insights around the importance of the employer brand in talent attraction on page 16.

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News analysis

US jobs up by 678,000 According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate moved down to 3.8%, which was far ahead of expectations, as the US economy continues to rebound.

The BBC reported that job growth across the US was widespread and led by gains in leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, health care and construction with the number of new jobs added well above analysts’ estimates of around 400,000 new roles.

Companies also added more jobs in January than previously estimated, according to revised numbers released on Friday with average hourly earnings rising by 5.1% over the past 12 months, although that figure is down from a 5.7% annual increase in January.

According to reports, most of the rise in jobs came from the leisure and hospitality industries, which added 179,000 new roles, and at bar and restaurant companies, which filled 124,000 jobs.

Employment in professional and business services rose by 95,000 jobs in February.

However, the total number of jobs on US payrolls is still 2.1 million below where it was before the pandemic.

Analysts predicted that the strongerthan-expected jobs market increased the certainty that the US central bank will raise interest rates at its next meeting which is something US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell was in favor of as quoted saying earlier this week.

Guidant’s Brian Salkowski Celebrated by SIA SIA has recognized Brian Salkowski, Chief Operating Officer of Guidant Global, as one of the most influential individuals in the recruitment sector.

SIA’s Staffing 100 North America list is positioned as a list of the ‘most influential leaders in the industry’, it comprises 100 individuals who ‘navigated the uncertainties of 2021’ and are ‘charting a course into the future of workforce solutions’. This is the fourth year in a row that Salkowski has received this prestigious recognition.

Guidant Global, a global talent acquisition and managed workforce solutions provider, has a footprint in over 80 countries, and manages 200,000-plus engagements annually

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TALiNT International US Issue 1

for more than 125 clients. Leading the implementation of the firm’s strategic vision and operational delivery globally, in 2021 Salkowski and his team significantly moved the business forward, positioning Guidant Global and its customers for long-term, sustainable success during very challenging times.

Career highlights for Salkowski in the last two years include the introduction of automation technology that eliminates manual processes and inaccuracy concerns, as well as the expansion of proprietary tools for supplier benchmarking insights that more accurately model future scenarios, supporting better talent outcomes for their customers.

News in brief Young workers enjoy the biggest pay boost According to new data reported in The Wall Street Journal the country’s youngest workers are securing the fastest wage rises of any age group. Median pay for those aged between 16 and 24 was 10.6 higher in January than a year earlier – which massively outpaces the average 4% pay gain across all age groups. Even though pay increases seem high because young people typically start from a lower base, the data suggests this rate of growth is the highest for a quarter of a century. The statistics reveal young people are benefiting from employers struggling to fill positions in traditionally low wage sectors and having to raise their rates accordingly. In 2020, 48% of all workers earning the federal minimum wage were under the age of 25.

90% of states not back to pre-COVID employment levels The pandemic recovery is supposed to be starting, but according to data published

by Bankless Times, it’s happening slower than some might have expected when it comes to employment levels. It reports its own research that suggests 88% of US states have yet to get back to their pre-pandemic levels of employment. It also predicts two-thirds of states still won’t have attained those employment levels, even by June time. The data finds only six states have recovered all the jobs lost by Covid (Utah, Arizona, Montana, Texas, Georgia, and Idaho), while the North Eastern and Great Lakes region States are likely to continue to have larger pre-pandemic employment gaps.

Americans still piling on the errors According to new research published in e-learninginside.com, a whopping 60% of resumes contain at least one spelling mistake, while one-in-ten is peppered with at least five or more. Of the nearly 100,000 resumes analyzed by Adzuna, only a third contained no mistakes at all. Texans made the most mistakes, followed by those in California, New York and Florida. By contrast, job seekers in Alaska and North Dakota make the fewest foul-ups. But could there be a simple answer why? It’s possible Americans have their spellcheckers set to ‘British English’ rather than US English. The research found one of the most frequent types of error was using UK spellings – ie organisation, behaviour and programme.

Talent Acquisition

The broad shoulders of TA Talent Acquisition (TA) teams are being asked to do more today than ever before, and many times – most times – with smaller teams and less funding than in the past. With this increased ask, TA’s role in the current market is expanding well beyond talent planning, identification, and recruitment. It’s now moved into talent onboarding, offboarding, DE&I and retention… A far bigger field to play on.

In the past, TA leaders were charged with creating and executing plans to identify talent, introduce that talent into the organization, and work with the talent until offer. These activities were challenging enough in themselves and have only become more challenging since the arrival of COVID-19. In a talent-strapped market, identifying talent within certain skill sets and then layering in the complexities of talent movement, hybrid working, remote working or back-to-office working, TA teams are having to navigate their past “known” activities and help the internal hiring teams to understand the challenges and potential solutions to solve for those challenges.

THE NEW ROLE OF TA Now, TA leaders are being asked to not only focus on the activities mentioned above, but to focus on talent onboarding, talent retention, introducing and fulfilling DE&I initiatives, as well as talent offboarding. The talent onboarding and talent offboarding functions alone can prove challenging without the right internal teams and systems in operation, which many times simply are not available.

Ray Culver Strategic Advisor, North America TALiNT Partners

CAN TECHNOLOGY HELP? The answer is Yes! There are multiple technology options to help Talent Acquisition teams identify talent and begin to build talent communities for current and future recruitment needs. Many of these tech options use an organization’s brand to attract talent and then, once the talent has shown interest in the brand, the tech will automate engagement campaigns to further identify and curate the talent communities created. Through the use of AI and automation, the talent identification and talent recruitment aspects of TA can be somewhat lightened. Once talent has been offered and the onboarding process is to begin, there are also many technology options to assist Talent Acquisition teams to create a smooth, and mostly automated, onboarding process, again lightening the load on the TA teams.

Today, Talent Acquisition has grown in scope dramatically and shows no sign of slowing down, but the good news for Talent Acquisition leaders is there is light at the end of the tunnel via technology, AI and automation.

Talent retention is another area that requires internal teams and their complete buy-in, to be effective. Many times, a focus on talent retention is a new concept for an organization, so change management and coaching/ mentoring is needed in the early days and ongoing – all of which, these days, are falling on the very broad shoulders of TA teams. But the big, big activity here is DE&I strategy. This could be, and honestly should be, a role and team unto itself. The focus on introducing diversity, equity and inclusion into an organization is a very important aspect to each of the activities we have discussed thus far – talent planning, talent identification, talent recruitment, talent onboarding, talent retention and ultimately talent offboarding. And, many times, DE&I falls onto TA leaders’ plates to figure out for the organization, and to then deploy and maintain.

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Q&A The Uber Era of Talent Chris Farmer, Global Workforce Strategist at Salesforce and judge in the TIARA Talent Solutions Awards US sat down with TALiNT International to talk about industry trends and how up-skilling is key to futureproofing business in a talent scarce market.

TI: What are the key talent trends you predict for

years, five years so we are going to start building that talent now by training them in the skills we need and those the market needs.

the year ahead?

CF: As we slowly start making the “return” to

work, we’ll see working from anywhere take centre stage and with that the intricacies of the talent experience in a remote work environment. Focus will be on total talent visibility (let alone compliance management) as everyone works from new, remote and/or different locations while embracing new talent platforms that the old school and conservative risk approaches won’t consider, for example the Upworks or Turings of the world! Talent leaders will need to ask how they’ll be able to engage with their talent pools while still maintaining their respective tolerance for risk. A lot of talent wants to work for these platforms – hence their popularity – but many companies find their platforms too risky. It’s the Taxi vs Uber model and I think we have to find a way to embrace the “Uber Era of Talent” and meet talent where they are.

TI: How has your business navigated a return to “normal” working conditions, post-pandemic?

CF: There is no normal – just new. We’ve declared

the nine-to-five officially dead and we’ve moved to a remote first strategy. Anybody can work from anywhere and we have the technology in place to empower that. We’ve closed some spaces but re-opened our offices with safety practices based on CDC and local guidelines. We’re hunting talent all over the globe and directing our supplier partners to find talent wherever they’re living.

We’ve instituted company-wide wellness days so that our teams can get a break as we recognize that working from home is actually more work than before.

TI: What changes have been implemented at

Salesforce to suit ‘pandemic-style working’ that you’ll consider keeping in place? And what will you leave behind?

TI: How do you balance talent shortages with DE&I and building more inclusive workplaces?

CF: We’re focused on enablement and up-skilling.

We don’t believe there’s enough talent out there with the skills we’ll need in the next year, three

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Debbie Walton Editor TALiNT Partners

It’s a win/win as we can invest in communities that may not typically see these types of opportunities, while giving back to the market instead of constantly draining it, and we get to onboard motivated talent into Salesforce.

TI: Is there a view on how long these levels of demand will last?

CF: From a market perspective, I think it will last

Chris Farmer Global Workforce Strategist Salesforce

for several years given the amount of talent that has left the market or changed their careers during the pandemic. From a Salesforce perspective the level of demand will last much longer as we are on a significant growth trajectory as we chase $50 billion.

TI: What HR tech trends do you see coming to the fore in 2022?

CF: We will see new work-from-anywhere

platforms, independent contractor (IC) vetting and compliance solutions that allow you to use the new “Uber” talent platforms without the risk.

Upskilling/enablement will ramp up as well as increased value on RPO. I believe that robotic process automation and a focus on remote/work anywhere talent experience ideas will be trends to watch in 2022.

TI: It’s your first time as a judge for the TIARA

Talent Solutions Awards. What do you feel sets apart the TIARA Awards Program when compared to other award programs?

I love that the TIARAs recognize the full spectrum of the talent industry and not just new and buzzword-wielding, up-and-comers. The TIARAs also recognize long standing partnerships, the best people to work for, and those delivering timely and dependable service, time and time again.

I feel this is so important to recognize because everyone loves to flaunt their fancy new tech but at the end of the day, I want to know that what you offer is going to show up for me year after year.

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Talent Solutions Power List

The rise and rise of

RPOs

During the pandemic the need for rapid support and additional resources resulted in an unprecedented demand for the services provided by recruitment outsourcing providers (RPOs).

This heightend demand is projected to continue with little sign of abating this year. Along with the continuous evolution of talent technology into a more complex landscape, many employers are turning to outsourcing providers for support in the identification and initial assessment of Talent Acquisition in a move to solidify partnerships and deliver clients’ talent needs.

One of the biggest trends in resourcing and talent acquisition over the last 25 years has been the growth of the recruitment outsourcing sector. From a small number of suppliers providing a fairly rudimentary service to a complex eco-system of global players and a myriad of niche, specialist scale-ups, employers can choose from a simple project resourcing service to a complete total talent management offering, supported by cutting edge technology.

Against this multifaceted backdrop, Talent Solutions (TS) providers are having to continuously adapt and adjust to the needs of their clients and complex external market conditions, enriching and expanding service offerings against predicted need. This complexity makes it increasingly difficult for procurement, HR and TA leaders to identify those TS partners best suited to their needs, particularly where there are a variety of views on resourcing priorities.

The Talent Solutions Power List (TSPL) is designed to help employers looking to engage with Talent Solutions firms to make the best decision, regardless of whether they are replacing an existing provider or outsourcing some or all resourcing activities for the first time. It also showcases the key capabilities of a range of talent solutions providers which have been validated by an independent panel of global TA leaders.

The Talent Solutions Power List has three key objectives:

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Ken Brotherston Chief Executive Officer TALiNT Partners

• To enable employers who are considering or changing a recruitment outsourcing provider to make an informed decision based on their own specific needs • To help recruitment outsourcing providers to clearly demonstrate their expertise in relevant areas based on an independent, rigorous evaluation • To provide confidential feedback to providers on ways in which they can finely tune the services they offer to respond effectively to customer needs and market trends.

There are two additional features of the Power List which improve its relevance for today’s market. It is designed to evaluate what customers look at when making buying decisions, and it prioritises the type of operational delivery a client is looking for, rather than how big a provider is, enabling a more meaningful, requirement-based comparison between large and mid-sized firms.

THE STEERING COMMITTEE AND THE INDEPENDENT ADVISORY BOARD The Power List benefits from the input of a subscriber Steering Committee. This is comprised of senior executives from subscribers to The Power List (i.e the Talent Solutions providers) who meet regularly to ensure the Power List submission process is equitable and clear. They also provide input on the key areas for evaluation.

INDEPENDENT ADVISORY BOARD The independent Advisory Board plays a crucial role in ensuring the consistency, accuracy and objectivity of the subscriber evaluation process.

The Advisory Board consists of global and regional Heads of TA from some of the worlds’ most admired organizations, offering their extensive experience in commissioning, evaluating, and running complex, multi-country outsourced recruitment services.

“Along with the continuous evolution of talent technology into a more complex landscape, many employers are turning to outsourcing providers for support”

OPERATIONAL FOCUS Talent Solutions providers will have refined and honed specific areas of delivery, based on their expertise and their own strategic objectives, regardless of the size of their business. The Operational Focus tool allows buyers to identify those providers with the right expertise, based on the work they do rather than their size. This is important because when it comes to service capability, the highest scores tend to be achieved by the largest firms with the most resources.

Each Talent Solutions Provider was asked to complete a detailed assessment of a number of categories (see graph below), providing evidence of capability to support areas of high capability and covered key areas. Their input was then reviewed by the Advisory Board and ranked accordingly.

The Power List is unique in its focus on evaluating and ranking capabilities around the activities that are most important to employers.

Top 3 in each category (EMEA)

The chart below shows operational focus for TSPL Subscribers across EMEA. Each line represents the distribution of priority by each provider, providing a competitive landscape analysis for Trailblazing (identifies new issues and challenges and is first to market), Pace-setting (best in class solution), Adapting (works to configure and adapt existing solutions) and Optimising (increases efficiency and/or reduces cost).

Candidate Experience Employer Brand & Candidate Attraction Diversity & Inclusion

Optimising

Adapting

Pacesetting

Trailblazing

Sanderson

Retinue Talent Solutions

Resource Solutions

Reed

PeopleScout

Page Outsourcing

Manpower Group, Talent Solutions

Lorien

Allegis Global Solutions Hays Talent Solutions

Retinue Talent Solutions

HudsonRPO

Guidant Global

Hays Talent Solutions

Guidant Global

AMS

Resource Solutions

Recruitment Supply Chain Effectiveness

Reed Talent Solutions

Allegis Global Solutions

AMS

Deployment of Technology

Lorien

Resource Solutions

Manpower

AMS

Guidant Global

Allegis Global Solutions

AMS

Reed Talent Solutions

PeopleScout

Manpower Group, Talent Solutions

Hays Talent Solutions

Page Outsourcing

All in all however, the direction of travel is clear and positive for both providers and employers and, when done well, outsourcing has a hugely important impact on an organisation’s ability to find and keep the people it needs.

20%

Hudson RPO

Retinue Talent Solutions

The results from our inaugural Talent Solutions Power List not only demonstrated the ongoing growth of the recruiting outsourcing sector, but, importantly, provided some clear pointers on its future evolution.

40%

Hays Talent Solutions

Allegis Global Solutions

Resource Solutions

AMS

Environmental, Social and Governance

60%

Guidant Global

Hays Talent Solutions

Guidant Global

Resource Solutions

Youth Employment

80%

Comensura

AMS & PeopleScout

Screening, Assessment & Selection

Onboarding

100%

AMS

3 Resource Solutions

Manpower Group, Talent Solutions

Employment Flexibility

Operational Delivery (EMEA)

Allegis Global Solutions

2 Guidant Global

Recruitment Planning & Effectiveness

Retention & Internal Mobility

Results indicate each subscriber’s strategic priority for development of existing and new business, enabling alignment of provider and client, based on the nature of work to be done.

There is no ‘right’ answer: each approach is dependent on the subscribers’ strategy, capability and resources and, accordingly, the responses are not evaluated by the Advisory Board.

1 Hays Talent Solutions

*In its first year (2021), The Power List service capability rankings are focused on the EMEA market. In 2022, it will cover the US in more detail and will also look at the key APAC markets (China, India, Australia/NZ, South East Asia and Japan).

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AMS: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Putting the ‘I’ in DE&I Overwhelmed by DE&I? You’re not alone. Talent leaders are faced with hiring a diverse workforce in a talent-scarce market and in limited time. So, how are organizations managing successful DE&I initiatives in the current market?

On the Thursday 24th of February, TALiNT Partners, in partnership with global workforce solutions firm AMS, hosted an in-person, roundtable discussion with HR, DE&I and Talent Leaders in Atlanta. The event was held in the Oak Room at Del Frisco’s Grille situated in the bustling neighborhood of Buckhead.

Judy Ellis, Senior Vice President and DE&I Advisory at AMS opened the discussion by asking the question: “How do you create buy-in to corporate DE&I initiatives in a way that everyone in the organization feels engaged and committed?”

She referenced a recent employee sentiment study to come out of a large employer where 25% of respondents viewed DE&I programs negatively. “Clearly, 75% were positive but such a sizeable minority is likely to impede meaningful progress; not least by making it simply too hard and too tiring for those within in the organization trying to drive change,” added Judy.

Sherika Ekpo, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Anaplan made the important observation that a big part of the problem is that whilst the vast majority of people want to do the right thing, DE&I can often feel like it’s added on top of everything else and for a lot of executives in today’s market (especially TA execs) it can all feel a bit overwhelming.

Sherika’s advice was threefold: “Make sure DE&I is primarily focused on the benefits for the

Ken Brotherston Chief Executive TALiNT Partners

Judy Ellis Senior Vice President and DE&I Advisory AMS

internal audience and not only the external one; if you have set aspirational goals, explain very clearly how you got there (both in terms of the actual objectives and the metrics) and, perhaps most importantly, continuously ‘sell the problem’ in other words, it’s imperative to keep reminding people why DE&I is important as too often the outcome isn’t seen in this context.”

When it comes to DE&I strategies, communication is critical and while it doesn’t have to be expensive it does take time so it’s important to manage expectations and not expect quick wins.

FOCUS ON THE I AND NOT THE D This is an increasingly common theme when it comes to how to land DE&I well and, whilst it is overly simplistic to say: ‘Just do inclusion’, there is a growing understanding that it is the key to long term success. Put directly, not only will DE&I fail if your diverse talent leaves, but it will also have been seen to fail, sending out a powerful message that says: ‘diverse talent doesn’t thrive here’.

We often find inspiration from unlikely sources: “If everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking at all.”

Sherika Ekpo Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Anaplan

Whilst there is some debate as to the provenance of the quote above and whether it came from Benjamin Franklin or General Patton, from an organization’s perspective, it is as true now as it was then. This is where Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) have a pivotal role to

“Make sure DE&I is primarily focused on the benefits for the internal audience and not the external one…”

Sherika Ekpo, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Anaplan

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play. Our group of delegates had a lively debate about ensuring ERGs remain business relevant – perhaps becoming Business Resource Groups – but all agreed that they are an incredibly important resource in developing new ideas, keeping leadership engaged and hopefully acting as an early warning system to identify issues.

But whether it’s an ERG or BRG, tying DE&I programs to business goals is important to stop them being seen as purely performative and, again the point was made: ‘Lead with the goal, not the metrics’.

But of course, tracking progress against DE&I goals is essential as proof points of organizational commitment and Liz Freedman, Global Head of Talent and DE&I at IHG Hotels & Resorts, gave a powerfully succinct response to how IHG determines which metrics are key for them on a global and market basis. “Inclusion and wellbeing are key measures across our global organization. However, representation in the leadership ranks varies across countries and functions, where demographic focus is likely to differ relative to gender, ethnicity, or nationality.

There isn’t a single global solution.”

“How do you create buy-in to corporate DE&I initiatives in a way that everyone in the organization feels engaged and committed?”

Judy Ellis, Senior Vice President and DE&I Advisory at AMS

Having opened the conversation, Judy rounded up the discussion by again reminding us that whilst driving DE&I is hard and complex, the benefits that successful DE&I strategies bring to an organizations’ culture, ability to attract talent and ultimately their long-term successes are huge.

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Resource Solutions: the importance of employer brands

Bold brand US talent leaders discussed why it’s important to be strategic; and how you can and should leverage your employer brand to attract talent.

Employer brand has never been more important for helping or hindering companies to attract the best talent. In a candidate-led market, organizations need to take a strategic approach, using all the tools at their disposal to position themselves as an employer of choice.

To explore how strategies for building an effective employer brand are evolving in the US, especially as we look towards a post-pandemic economy, TALiNT Partners and global recruitment outsourcing specialists Resource Solutions hosted a virtual roundtable of US TA and HR leaders.

The discussion was hosted by Kwame Asare, Head of Talent Marketing and Insights, Resource Solutions, and Sarah Keady, Global CoE Operations Director, Resource Solutions, alongside Ken Brotherston, Chief Executive, TALiNT Partners, and Ray Culver, Strategic Advisor, North America, TALiNT Partners.

EMPLOYER BRANDING IN THE NEW WORKPLACE The rapid rise of widespread remote and hybrid working as a response to the pandemic has created significant uncertainty and fresh challenges.

In many businesses, structured remote video meetings have taken the place of real-life catch-ups, reducing conversations over afterwork drinks and around the water cooler, the type of accidental and opportunistic situations which often lead to job referrals.

With less opportunities to meet new people, talent referral pools are shallower and employee referral programs more difficult.

Meanwhile, we are still working out how to balance employer and employee priorities regarding where and how we work. While there will never be a simple, uniform solution for businesses, chief executives who insist that all staff must come into the office nine to five Monday to Friday, without providing a compelling reason, will bare the brunt of the so-called Great Resignation. The concept of work/life balance is highly subjective but the consensus is that flexible working is here to stay.

Changing work patterns coupled with record labour shortages have prompted business and

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Dawn Gibson-Fawcett Features writer TALiNT Partners

Kwame Asare Head of Talent Marketing and Insights Resource Solutions

Sarah Keady Global CoE Operations Director Resource Solutions

talent leaders to take a critical look at their employer brand. “What we’ve seen over the last 18 to 24 months is that a lot of organizations find themselves behind the curve with their employer brand and their employee value proposition,” said Kwame Asare from Resource Solutions.

“Many organizations do not have an EVP and many have been spending a lot of money trying to attract talent. What we’re finding is that recruiters’ channel strategies are adapting as social media sourcing becomes more prominent.

Gimmicks are no longer working as people are seeing straight through them.” For example, Asare pointed out that companies needed to try harder than using stock images featuring people of varied cultural backgrounds in a bid to represent themselves as diverse and inclusive.

LINKEDIN, TIKTOK AND GLASSDOOR The use of social and online media as recruitment tools is changing, with companies adopting more strategic approaches which emphasize social listening, awareness raising, and community building.

As the go-to recruiter platform, LinkedIn has become increasingly crowded, making it hard for organizations to get their message heard. Asare said savvy operators consistently publish quality content to build employer brand, along with campaigns around events such as International Women’s Day and Black History Month.

One talent leader said her organization was at the start of their process of developing a social media strategy for talent attraction. “We’ve focused on trying to get as much visibility as possible with sign-on bonuses and the like, but we definitely think social is going to be very important for us, specifically for our retail and call center operations,” she said. “The company needs to put more information out there to get brand awareness to a much bigger audience.”

Given its appeal to under-25s, the short video platform TikTok is considered a good channel for early careers awareness – but don’t expect it to produce your next great hire. “You will get a lot of views and a lot of engagement, but when you start looking at metrics like conversion, time to cost, cost to hire and attributing a recruitment ROI, TikTok isn’t going to deliver,” Asare explained.

US talent and HR leaders soundly endorsed the anonymous reviews published on the website Glassdoor as an effective tool for measuring employer brand and as an early warning system for problematic workplace culture.

“We’ve used Glassdoor for some time now and find it the best source for understanding what candidates and employees are saying,” said the Global Head of Talent for a major travel company.

“It shows how we’re tracking, how we’re comparing, and helps us to provide a level of analytics. We monitor the comments so that we are alerted very quickly to any discriminatory activity that we need to act on.”

AUTHENTICITY, CX, DIVERSITY Whether posting to social media or onboarding a new hire, one trend will permeate all talent activity in 2022: authenticity. In a market where job-seekers have the luxury of picking and choosing, candidates have little patience for blatant corporate artifice and posturing, especially when there is a distinct mismatch between image and reality.

For an EVP to work, it must be genuinely aligned with an organization’s values and day-to-day practice.

“It’s very much about what you are offering, what is unique to you and your organization, and then how you translate that message,” said Sarah Keady, Global CoE Operations Director, Resource Solutions. “Show what your community looks like so people can see that as they’re going through the process.”

An international talent executive agreed.

“Ultimately, it’s about how an employer’s brand and culture aligns and how well they’re managing all the change that is taking place right now,” she said. “What a company does and says is going to become a lot more transparent, which will directly affect their brand and their ability to attract and retain.”

On top of navigating flexible working arrangements, US employers face the fraught issue of whether to insist that workers get vaccinated against COVID-19. The issue is hugely problematic – if you insist, you may be viewed as dictatorial, if you do not, you could be perceived

as an employer who does not care about staff health. Whatever decision is made, there may be an impact on EVP. Another key trend is the increasing importance of a personalized candidate experience. “It’s about how we treat people even before they get to the employee phase as that treatment will continue to build the brand,” Ray Culver, TALiNT Partner’s Strategic Advisor, North America, said.

“If a candidate applies for a role but doesn’t get it, are you sending them a message to say you received their application? Are you getting back to all your candidates?”

Talent leaders pointed to several tools that can be used by companies that are not household names to effectively boost employer brand, including winning industry awards for aspects of workplace culture that they wants to be known for – for example, diversity and inclusion or technological innovation – and establishing employee development programs to optimize the internal talent pool and provide clear pathways for career progression.

CONCLUSION As is the case with most aspects of talent acquisition and retention, there is no one-sizefits-all strategy for building an effective employer brand. TA and HR leaders need to be constantly looking for and experimenting with new ways of hiring, new channels for marketing and different ways of optimizing the use of existing tools.

And, if there is one powerful over-riding lesson to emerge from the past two years, it is to expect the unexpected. “If we had said just over a year ago that we were heading for the most acute hiring shortages ever, nobody would have believed it,” TALiNT Partners Chief Executive Ken Brotherston said. “How quickly that has changed – and it is a reminder that the markets could change in the other direction just as quickly.”

“Many organizations are behind the curve with their employer brand and their employee value proposition.”

Kwame Asare, Head of Talent Marketing and Insights, Resource Solutions

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WorkLlama: The Employer Brand

Brand almighty In a talent-scarce market, focus is now on innovative ways to attract talent and widen already small talent pools. A visible employer brand could and should be a very good tool for TA team arsenals.

In a move across The Pond, TALiNT Partners hosted an in-person dinner in Atlanta where we brought together a fascinating cross section of HR and Talent leaders from Atlanta’s largest and most dynamic employers to discuss and debate some key issues around building an effective employer brand and engaging talent pools in talent scarce market.

Sudhakar Maruvada, CEO and Founder of WorkLlama, the comprehensive talent community platform, opened the discussion: “It is increasingly well-understood that in today’s market employers need to engage talent as customers, and use their brand to help with that.

Engagement needs to be looked at holistically, not just in silos. For example, in the US, contingent recruiting is increasingly popular for candidates.”

DETAILED DATA One of the biggest challenges for employers is having the accessibility to the right data in order to formulate effective hiring strategies, especially when it comes to who is engaging with them and why.

Cheryl Coulthurst, AVP Recruiting for Emory University representing Emory – Atlanta’s largest employer commented on the competitiveness of trying to hire from a noticeably shrinking labor pool which has been affected by more people retiring, women leaving the workforce and professionals starting their own businesses.

Ken Brotherston Chief Executive TALiNT Partners

Sudhakar Maruvada CEO and Founder WorkLlama

“DE&I has been extended to include a feeling of belonging as well. Since the pandemic, the workforce’s priorities have changed and they’re more inclined to seek employment at a company that aligns with their values.”

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Barbara Blevens, Vice President TA, LexisNexis Risk Solutions added: “In today’s market no one feels the need to have to apply for a job because they are receiving regular outreaches from recruiters.”

“The nurturing part of the process needs to be about ‘them’ the candidate and too much of it is about ‘you’ the employer, so it’s important to think about what you can deliver that isn’t just about ‘do you want a job with us?’ Most people won’t engage much with brands they love so why would they engage with you?”

Barbara added that too often traditional recruitment metrics get in the way of what’s really important in engaging candidates.

EMPLOYER BRAND: A DOUBLE EDGED SWORD As Brian Fink, Senior Technical Recruiter, Twitter pointed out: “A proportion of candidates will view a brand like Twitter through a political lens and may be less likely to want to work there, whereas a lesser-known brand has fewer preconceptions…”

THE SOCIAL FACTOR Do not underestimate the importance of continued evaluation of different social media channels when building talent pools. LinkedIn is often the go-to but Facebook is still hugely important and very effective when used well.

Instagram and TikTok may be more about awareness than conversion but still need to be considered, as well as a whole range of specialist channels, depending on the audience you are trying to reach.

CULTURE FIT One of the most important themes of our discussion was around what ‘culture fit’ means.

Historically it can be perceived as ‘we only hire people who look like us’ and increasingly this is seen as being inimical to a supporting DE&I. However, organizations still do have distinct ways of doing things, so it is still important that new hires do fit in. DE&I has been extended to include a feeling of belonging as well. Since the pandemic, the workforce’s priorities have changed and they’re more inclined to seek employment at a company that aligns with their values and makes them feel as if they are part of a bigger picture.

Another key point when looking to build a truly engaged talent pool is to focus on candidates’ future aspirations. Ask them questions like: “what do you want to do next” rather than “tell us about yourself” which is about what they have done in the past. Gaining a deeper understanding of who the candidates actually are will not only ensure they align with your brand, but may mean the difference between an early drop off and a long-term employee who is focused on building the business and themselves.

In summary, the market for talent across the US shows no sign of slowing anytime soon and the responding to the demands of a post-pandemic economy only makes the role of HR and TA leaders harder. But, not impossible. Improving how your employer brand is aligned with what candidates want doesn’t have to be complex or expensive but it will certainly pay dividends in helping you find and keep the people you need.

Cheryl Coulthurst AVP Recruiting Emory University

Barbara Blevens Vice President TA LexisNexis Risk Solutions

“It’s important to think about what you can deliver that isn’t just about ‘do you want a job with us?’ Most people won’t engage much with brands they love already so why would they engage with you?”

Barbara Blevens, Vice President TA, LexisNexis Risk Solutions

Brian Fink Senior Technical Recruiter Twitter

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US TALiNT Talk

The State of the (Recruiting) Nation — it’s booming In a week where the events in Ukraine cast a dark shadow over our lives, the trials and tribulations of the hiring market can seem inconsequential, but of course organizations still need to find and keep the people they need.

Our recent series of invitation-only dinners were a fascinating opportunity to spend time with a range of HR and Talent Acquisition leaders from organizations as diverse as Twitter, BNSF and PricewaterhouseCoopers to gain a deeper understanding of their priorities and challenges.

As we like to say at many of our sessions, ‘whatever your problem, you’re not alone’ and these sessions were no different. Of course, the acute talent shortage driven in large part by the disruption to the labor market caused by COVID-19 is an issue that affects us all. And it’s evident that talent shortages are not a localized issue. In fact, it’s the opposite as talent scarcity is felt across the globe as TALiNT Partners’ in-person in the UK have also revealed time and time again. It’s almost nice to know that our counterparts across The Pond are in the same boat, and even nicer to be able hear global solutions to these issues while sitting across the table from industry leaders. The consensus is: attracting talent in a talent scarce market is seemingly impossible, but there are smart ways in which do it, and do it well…

These talent attraction issues, in large part, are driven by the many of the challenges faced by employers today but their different responses are creating a divergence between those who will come out of the pandemic well and those who will not. And this sentiment only highlights the importance of the employer brand…

In a market that has faced challenges never seen before, there are many emergent phenomena that can affect a way a potential employee views your company.

For example: vaccinations and your policy around them may impact on your employer brand; Twitter comments can end up politicizing your brand even if that’s not what you intended ad your commitment to ESG and DE&I can also play a positive or equally negative part in talent attraction strategies.

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Is your organization struggling to attract (and retain talent)? If the answer is yes, perhaps it’s time to take a closer look at your organization from the outside in.

Ken Brotherston Chief Executive Officer TALiNT Partners

“The consensus is: attracting talent in a talent scarce market is seemingly impossible, but there are smart ways in which do it, and do it well…”

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