Talentia, recruitment and integration are now bilateral

Fabio Cardilli, Talentia Software’s European Product Leader, explains how the recruiting and onboarding environment has changed dramatically.

Joining a new company has a strong emotional impact for any person, whether they are experienced in the workforce or young minds ready for their first working experience. Understanding the emotional wave new and potential joiners go through, combining the fear of change, mixed with enthusiasm should be all HR department’s prerogative.

This emotional collaboration should be created in the “company value proposition” phase when the candidate access the “work with us” section of the company website for the first time. When searching for talent, companies need to know how to transform initial curiosity into actual interest. And how can they do this?

Through messages, logos, images, candidates can experience the brand and company culture through the initial job portal and continuing through the selection stages.

Building a consistent and reliable image of the company between all phases promotes interest, builds trust and encourages the candidates to reflect positively on their experience, all of which is essential to attract talent.

Employer branding and value proposition

Who said that the selection process should be translated directly into a recruiter’s search?

Today, companies are aware of making themselves attractive to the job market, as a matter of opportunity. Because talent attracts talent.

A company that neglects the quality of its image in the job market and views the only way to attract a valuable resource is via position and money, could find themselves deterring the talent pool that they are aspiring to reach. Candidates are “consumers”, free explorers of a world without borders in which a simple browse of a website can deter an application.

To empress, a young person can be a complicated thing today. Fortunately, appearance is not everything. Beyond the surface, “employer branding” means conveying an identity of values and a tradition to feel proud of and for which to develop a sense or a will to belong. In this mix, there is the key to attract people who first of all understand who you are and know how to decide if they want to be part of your company.

Getting to know each other 

The concept is simple. Get to know each other to understand your mutual compatibility. However, while this has always been reflected in the traditional assessment by the recruiter(s) of the candidate’s skills, general competencies, attitudes, and personality, typically they don’t give the candidates the same opportunity to virtually open the door to their organization. The first peek is typically the offer of a job accompanied by a job description and a brief regarding company details, roles, and responsibilities.

Take co-ownership of a new house as an example, would you buy it with a 30-year mortgage without knowing all of the facts? Does it have any customs, although respectable, that do not represent me? Are neighbors intrusive? As a potential home buyer, the candidate will also want to make sure that he or she is doing the right thing.

When talking about talent acquisition, it is also about making contact with people who are evaluating a certain change. The purpose of technology in companies is to promote the candidate to go to the door of what could be their new business. Helping candidates do their own research of the company. Discovering its talents, shared experiences, company videos, client or employee testimonials or explore other information. These are some of the tools that are often offered. A modern way of expressing the company culture and building trust of the organization.

Onboarding, where it all begins

When both paths (that of the recruiter and that of the candidate) have been fulfilled and chosen after having met, there is a later phase: continuing this path of joining the company with the promises made. It is at this stage that the candidate will feel connected to the company they were looking for. The results, the level of interaction and the performance of the new employee in the coming months will be largely conditioned by how this person was welcomed by the team during the first few days. And it’s not just about getting training or instructions on how to do what, but ensuring that the corporate values described during the selection stage are met and demonstrated.

Technology can help, to reduce distance, time and costs. Welcome feedback on company social feeds, e-learning activities, video conferences, the “know your team” tab, online documentation e.g. health and safety and completion of online administrative procedures, are only some of the administrable activities.

Finally, the follow-up. Gathering feedback from the new employee with reference to their Onboarding experience is essential. It serves to improve the process but also as an opportunity to build loyalty and retention.  Considering the time and expense it takes to hire a new employee, a well-defined onboarding program will, in turn, help companies retain their employees and will encourage employees to become company advocates.