A Talent Advisor Is An Expert With Regards To The Industry, Company and Role
A Talent Advisor Presents Candidates Along With Narratives About Each Candidate, Not Just A Resume
A Talent Advisor Provides Information And Advice To Candidates Prior To An Interview
Not Every Recruiter Is A Talent Advisor, But They Sure Can Be
Sourcing, recruiting, vetting and presenting skills are all critical for recruiters to be successful. But the best, most respected and of course most effective recruiters can also lead a recruiting process, build and follow a proven strategic recruiting strategy start to finish. These types of professionals are better known as talent advisors and tend to be more strategic than the average recruiter. Talent advisors know the importance of adding value to the recruiting process; will always go beyond hiring managers' expectations while also acting as great advisors to candidates too. Simply put, talent advisors are just more strategic, act as a consultative partner to a hiring manager and take the time to get to know their candidates. Talent advisors do more than the average recruiter.
Talent Advisors Provide Hiring Managers with More Than Just a Resume
Hiring managers know how to read a resume to look for the requirements and skills needed to do the job. This is a "no brainer". But for many to make the decision to move forward or not, having more information is always better. I believe recruiters need to provide commentary around each presented candidate and why he/she is qualified. I am not saying there needs to be a 2-page write-up but what I am suggesting is that there needs to be more than just a resume when presenting a candidate for a role. Some hiring managers make it easy for talent advisors and recruiters by requiring these professionals to fill out a questionnaire which of course helps with qualifying a candidate. But, when a questionnaire is not provided, talent advisors go the extra mile to provide hiring managers with information covering the candidate's background, education, accomplishments, and why the candidate may be a good fit for the role not to mention, the company. Providing insight around a candidate is much preferred by almost any hiring manager compared to just receiving a piece of paper with information on it.
When a questionnaire is not provided here are a few questions I suggest asking a potential candidate;
1. What interests you about the job? The Company?
2. After looking at the job description or listening to the description I provided you today, why do you believe you are qualified to do the job? Talk to me about your skills, accomplishments and how they fit in with the requirements of the role. For some roles, I ask the candidate to take the time to write-out the answers to these questions.
3. Talk to me about your short-term and long-term goals. Where do you see yourself in 3 years, 5 years?
4. What types of people do you hire? Tell me about your team.
5. What is your current salary? What did your W2 state last year? Some candidates will divulge their salary without hesitation, while others are hesitant or not willing to disclose it at all. Personally, I almost always require a salary to be provided, before I submit a candidate for consideration.
6. What do you like to do when you are not working? This helps the recruiter and hiring manager understand a little about the candidate that is not on a resume.
Now I believe the talent advisor/recruiter has some great information to share with the hiring manager.
Preparing Candidates For Interviews Are A Must - Don't let all your recruiting efforts be for naught, by not preparing your candidates. Your job is not done until the hire is made.
Please don't fall short by not preparing your candidates for an interview. Truth is, successful hires in part are the results of candidates’ preparedness. Talent advisors realize the importance of candidates’ being prepared for interviews so it is almost second nature for these professionals to take part in these activities. In my book, it is a must do activity and the fact that there is no one better to prepare a candidate for an interview than the talent advisor, is just a no-brainer. Stopping short with just presenting a candidate is like being short of a touchdown and not crossing over the goal line. Preparing a candidate is not a difficult task, and does not require countless hours to do so just do it!
A Few Ways To Prepare Candidates For Interviews
1. As a rule, tell each candidate to leave an interview conveying a strong desire to work for the company while showing enthusiasm and how he/she can add value and complement the team.
2. Share with the candidates what you know about the hiring manager, the team and others to whom they will be meeting with. Encourage candidates to explore social media and conduct people searches on the internet to learn more about these professionals. Additionally, simply direct candidates to the company's website, yahoo news, and career sites to learn more about the company's mission, corporate culture and values.
3. Have the candidates prepare by being ready to speak about their accomplishments, strengths and why they would be right for the job.
4. Tell candidates to be ready to talk compensation.
5. Most importantly, tell the candidates to be themselves.
Recruiting is not a job it is an adventure. Be sure your adventure comes full circle. It starts by finding the candidates and ends with a successful hire. Everything in the middle separates an average recruiter from a talent advisor. Be an expert, provide commentary and prepare your candidates.
Happy Hunting
Sheila Greco
sgreco@sgatalent.com