"The world has changed - it's never going back to normal - and that's what you have to love!"
All companies are facing this changed world. Buzzwords such as digitalisation, flexibilisation, globalisation, competitive management, communication at eye level, value and cultural change - to name but a few - are haunting all departments.
In order to be able to cope with the complexity of these issues, a new "mindset" in the heads of the management and in the heads of the HR departments is absolutely necessary.
The process of change in the labour market has been noticeable for years - the demographic change has not only been known since yesterday. By 2020, there will be a shortage of 6 million people - due to the low birth rate in the 70s and 80s. Closely linked to this is the ageing of society. This poses just as great a challenge for companies. These facts should be a wake-up call for all companies, because it means that those who do not act now, who do not change their mindset now, will lose a decisive competitive advantage within the next three to five years: people, plus the opportunity to find and develop them for a company.
The age of "post & pray" is long gone - for a long time now, standard job advertisements have not received the desired number of applications. It is therefore imperative to go new ways - one of many possibilities is the establishment of a strategic talent relationship management. This can also be summarised in one sentence:
"Knowing tomorrow's talent today".
But how? This is exactly where "out of the box" thinking comes in: Finding the talents - and this really means all potential candidates, whether active or passive - where they are. Surely you are not on some online job ad platforms. Finding talent doesn't mean spending all day online / at your desk. It means going out, attending trade fairs, actively networking, being active in the market, using events, etc.
"Be bold and creative."
Go where the talents are. For example, with the help of a "talent scout". Where can you find young innovative fashion designers, for example? The best places are the various fashion fairs in Berlin, Amsterdam, etc. The talent scout's sole task is to approach these talents directly on site and establish contact - not to approach them for a specific position. His task is to build a long-term / strategic relationship - to inspire the talent for the company today, so that when a suitable position becomes vacant - he can offer it to this talent. But it also means that intensive contact with the talent should be built up over time. A one-off birthday card is not enough - you have to stand out, stay in touch with the talent individually. With such measures, it should never be disregarded that the necessary acceptance for the position of talent scout must exist from the top of the company in order to build and maintain a strategic talent relationship pool. It is equally important that the processes behind a talent relationship management pool are supported in the best possible way with a well-functioning tool, e.g. embedded in an existing applicant management system.
Establishing a strategic talent relationship management takes time - but saves money in the long run - because it results in precisely fitting recruitments.
Now is the time to go new ways, implement them and thereby generate an absolute competitive advantage.
About the author
Ms Petra Carl is a fully qualified lawyer specialising in labour law. She has been working in HR for 20 years and has learned her trade from the ground up. She has managed the HR department in various companies and has consistently developed it over the last few years in line with the challenges of the labour market. As a long-time HR manager in the fashion and lifestyle industry, she has profound knowledge of HR processes. Her expertise covers the entire employee life cycle.
The five focal points of their further development are employer branding, candidate journey, social media based active sourcing, direct approach and strategic talent relationship management.
At Senator Executive Search Partners, Petra Carl is responsible for the area of HR process optimisation. She offers you for your HR department:
- Tailor-made, forward-looking HR solutions
- Support and accompany the transformation of your current human resources system into a 'state-of-the-art' one.
- Development of 'HR 4.0' in particular with regard to its five focal points
