Turning Distrust in Big Business Into a Big Talent Acquisition Opportunity

Turning Distrust in Big Business Into a Big Talent Acquisition OpportunityOnly 28 percent of Americans say they trust in organized labor, and a stifling 21 percent trust big business, according to a 2017 Gallup poll. These shockingly low numbers have the potential to negatively affect both talent acquisition and retention strategies.As a hiring pro, its important for you to understand the impacts of distrust in the workplace as well as how you can effectively build trust with candidates and your team. So, we turned to Ira Wolfe, President of Success Performance Solutions, for his expert insight on how distrust is affecting companies and what can be done about it. His answers will surprise you Decreased trust in one company is anothers opportunityPeople are losing trust in specific companies, not all of them. With a critical eye on your own brand and a focus on employees, your talent acquisition strategy will rise to the top. It decreased trust has created opportunities for companies that pay attention to their employment brand and candidate experience. So many companies cant get out of their own way. The opportunity to pick off great employees from competitors or win the race for talent acquisition doesnt require perfection at this point. It just requires your company to be better than the competition. Regrettably, that bar is not set very high, but more companies are finally getting serious about talent acquisition.Distrust in big business creates possibilities for companies with positive employeeexperience hireauthorityClick To TweetTrust-building starts with authenticity and transparencyYour employees have choices, and if you dont provide a quality employee experience from the start, their choice will be to leave your company behind. A good onboarding process is essential. Too often, new hires are thrown into the deep end of the pool on the first day. If there is no engagement with the job and the company, then the only thing keeping that employee on your p ayroll is a paycheck thats a fragile retention strategy. Employees of all generations but especially millennials and Gen Z want to feel part of the organization. They also want the organization to be part of the community. Strong social consciousness is a magnet for top talent.Instill trust and create a positive experienceA positive employee experience starts from day one. Its managers jobs to take control, make the time, and stay devoted to nurturing new hires. Managers need to be prepared. On a new hires first day, they should be the most important meeting on the managers calendar. Its a time to review roles and expectations, pair them up with a mentor, and introduce them to the rest of the team. Let me know if you have any questions or problems needs replaced with a weekly check-in and maybe even a spontaneous drop-by during the first week or two.Onboarding isnt a one-week thing or just an HR function. It requires the active participation of the manager, management, and the te am for at least six months, depending on the new hire.And while throwing a new hire in the deep end isnt a best practice, keeping them on the sidelines for weeks or months isnt either. A new hire should be assigned to a team that is engaged in a significant project right away. This allows them to get to know the team, how the company works, and feel part of something bigger. Onboarding isnt a one-week-and-done HR project. Its an ongoing team effort. hireauthorityClick To TweetYou need to know your companyNo matter how big or small the war on talent is, companies will never win if they dont figure out their own needs. The two key questions I ask each client and each audience are How many candidates actually view your job postings and know you have an opening? Until last week, not a single person ever raised their pranke And then when I inquired further, one person admitted she only tracked views from Indeed. If you dont know how many candidates know you have an opening, the problem m ay not be in talent acquisition, but your marketing instead. How many candidates start an application but abandon it?Again, few companies know this but typically 50 to 95 percent are dropping out. The solution is a more contemporary application with 10 questions or less, five to 10 minutes max to complete, mobile ready, and immediate response to schedule an vorstellungsgesprch or decline the candidate. Following this quick screen, a candidate is much more likely to feel engaged and respond to a longer application.In addition to the mobile responsive short application, chatbots are growing in popularity. I recently tested one and after applying, I was scheduled for an interview in 61 seconds. One-way video interviewing will also become more popular in talent acquisition. Imagine having candidates complete a five or six question screening application and if they meet the minimum qualifications, they have the opportunity to chat live or schedule an interview. How do you keep talent acq uisition strong during a time of distrust? Let us know