Beat the Big Brands at Hiring by Working Smarter

Building a Winning Talent Acquisition Department

Against the Odds

• The Yugo Trap• Your Culture is Your Brand• Moneyball (You are the A’s!)• Build a Recruiting Culture

The Yugo Lesson• Low Price is Lure• No Brand Differentiation• 100,000 sold in 8 years• Zero buyer retention

The Yugo Trap• Compensation is Lure• No Brand Differentiation• Generic websites, etc.• Lack of cultural awareness

can lead to retention issues

Why People Leave• Small minority due to

compensation• Saratoga Institute- 88% leave for

reasons other than money• Company Transition, Boss, Culture,

etc.

You are in Marketing!"The aim of marketing is to know and understand the

customer so well the product or service fits him

and sells itself."Peter F. Drucker

Keys to Your Marketing Success:

1.Your sell not $$ focused2.Define who you Want to Hire3.Define Your Culture4.Make your Culture your Brand5.Attract People who will be Successful in your Culture

Step One: Who do You Want to Hire?• People who will be Successful (Achievers)• People who will be Satisfied (High Morale)• People who will stay for awhile (Retention)

Step Two: Define Your Culture

Who are you?

Minivan or Ferrari?

Can you Identify Your Brand?

Survey Your Top 20% Performers • “What do you like best about working

here?”• ”Describe our company culture”• “What personal attributes are most

important for an employee to be successful here?”

* Determine if you need to break out by function

Employee Engagement Survey

• Look for Positive Feedback• Look for Why They Work Here• Read Employee Comments• Look for Trends

Company Core ValuesPowerful statements that can be used in Marketing Messages

•Basis for Employee Videos

Social Media• Research the Internet

(Glassdoor, Indeed, etc.)• What are employees saying

about you?

“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic,

but rather emotion.”-Dale Carnegie

Step Three: Make Your Culture your Brand!• Logical versus Emotional

Decisions• Address both, but emphasize

Emotions• Your Culture is an Emotion

Create your Marketing Brand• Engage Marketing and/or a

Consultant• Analyze data from Top 20%

Performers, Engagement Survey, Values Statements

• Create Marketing Messages

Explain what makes you different from your competitors.

What is unique about your company and its culture?

Present the results you’ve produced for other people in the same situation.

What results will address your target audience’s needs?

You Must Revamp• Careers Website• Social Media (Twitter, YouTube,

Facebook, etc.)• Candidate Materials• Job Descriptions• Interview Preparation• Group Culture and Personal

Relationships

Emotional• Company Culture• Employee Perks• Employee Testimonials• Workplace Visuals• Group Culture• Personal Engagement

Logical• Company Facts• Benefits Information• Employee Amenities

“So at the point of decision, emotions are very important for choosing. In fact even with what we

believe are logical decisions, the very point of choice is arguably always based on emotion.”

Antonio DaMasio- Professor of NeuroScience

Careers Site

• Address Emotional and Logical• White Space- Culture Statements• Employee Testimonial Videos• Align Testimonials with Core Values• Employee Activities/Clubs• Display Company Successes• Win Best Places Awards• Logical- One Page Company Fact Sheet• Logical- Benefits Summary

Consistency Across Platforms• Reiterate Message• Candidate Materials• Job Descriptions• Social Media (Twitter, YouTube,

Facebook, etc.)• Interviews• Offers

The Interview• Every relationship is personal

regardless of outcome• Follow up with every candidate• Assign each interviewer one question

aligned to culture/values• 5-10 minutes reserved to discuss

company/team culture (Candidate selects in or selects out)

• Candidate Satisfaction Survey (Culture discussed?)

The Offer• Re-iterate Culture Statements• Think outside the box-

Lunch/Dinner, Gift Basket• Don’t stop Communicating• Comprehensive onboarding

including Buddy (top 20%)

You are Successful when…Through multiple channels you have portrayed your culture so well that the best candidates “select in” and mismatched candidates “select out”!

Extra Credit- Outside Impressions• Careers Site Survey• Candidate Satisfaction Survey• Research Firm

Ultimate Goal: Align internal beliefs with external impressions.

The Big Three!

• Goal #1- Identify Your Culture• Goal #2- Build Your Brand based on

your Culture• Goal #3- Attract and Hire People who

will Thrive in your Culture

Goal #3- Attract People who will be Successful

Think Outside the Box Work Harder Analytics Give You an Edge! Use Internal Data to determine

where you want to recruit

Moneyball- Internal Data Gather information on your Top 20%

performers Past Companies, Company Size,

Source of Hire, etc. Employee Engagement Survey (Top

reasons work here? Ex: Location) Look for Trends and Develop a

Strategy

Build a Recruiting Culture• Cast the Net Wide• Partner with Marketing• Conference Attendees,

Business Cards, Coffee Carts

• Networking is Everything• Engage Executives• Constant Messaging• Personal Relationships!

Employee Networks• Former Employees (Best Quality

Hires)• Employee Referrals- 30-50%

external hires• Employee LinkedIn networks• Refer a Star!• Engage Executives- Promos• Sell, Sell, Sell!!!

Review• The Yugo Trap- Build your Brand• Your Culture is Your Brand• Moneyball (You are the A’s!)- use

Analytics Before you Recruit• Build a Recruiting Culture• Personal Relationships

Randall BirkwoodAscendantTalent

Twitter: @randallbirkwoodEmail: rbirkwood@comcast.net