In the swiftly changing landscape of modern business, the subject of recruitment has garnered significant attention. Companies are competing for top talent, technological advancements and AI have reshaped recruitment strategies, and a focus on Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity has reached unprecedented levels of significance. As organizations strive to find the right individuals to drive business success, it is key to understand the nuances of effective recruitment. 

Our Founder and President, Luisa De Jesus, recently sat down with Tara Vesey to discuss this very important topic. Tara, a partner at LHH Knightsbridge, boasts an extensive career spanning over 14 years as a senior consultant and VP of Business Development. She works closely with businesses and clients, crafting effective recruitment strategies to address executive talent needs.  

1. What role does employer branding play in recruitment and why is it important? 

“When you look at your organization, you need to think about your brand, the products, the solutions, and the services that you deliver. What is your brand promise? How does that cascade into your employer brand? Your employer brand needs to support your business strategy and must support who you are going after in the marketplace. This brand needs to be really well articulated in your website and social media, particularly if you're a smaller organization. When it’s well articulated, every single hiring manager and talent acquisition team member can say it, helping them attract the right talent.” 

 2. What are the key factors to consider when you're developing a recruitment strategy?  

“First and foremost, you should have a compelling employer brand. Have well-honed job ads so you can talk about and sell the role. You also need to think about where your talent is, choosing the right posting sites to go after.  

Put simply there's four ways that employers find people: ads or campus recruitment, networking or employee referrals, unsolicited applications, and search firms or agencies. If employers are doing the first three really well (communicating their value proposition, talking about the job in a really compelling way, talking about what the organization has to offer) then they are on the right track to finding their desired talent. 

I would encourage employers to think about employee referral programs. Some of the best referrals come from current employees who know people who would value the same type of job, employer, and way of working.” 

       3. How do employers ensure that they've got the right job ad? 

“Often organizations take a job description, copy, and paste it, and put it online. Don't get me wrong, job descriptions are important, but I don’t think they tell the whole story. 

It’s all about communicating a compelling proposition about the role. Stating how the employee is going to contribute to the greater good of the organization, what successes they will have, and how they are going to interact with other team members, colleagues, or managers within the organization. It also needs to describe what the organization has to offer.  

We all know about Procter and Gamble, Royal Bank and IBM, but if your organization is small and you're much less well known, your job posting needs to be even better. You need to articulate how someone can grow and learn in this role, as well as the culture of your organization.” 
 

     4. How can employers remove unconscious bias in the recruitment process? 

“Firstly, there needs to be an inward turn. Have hiring managers been through unconscious bias training? Do you have multiple diverse perspectives evaluating candidates? Are all the candidates being asked the same questions? 

It is also important to look at how you’re advertising that job posting. Is there anything in there that might be exclusionary? Take a look at your “bona fide requirements.” Could they actually be considered and communicated as “nice to haves?” Are there certifications that may be elusive, expensive, or very difficult for an underrepresented group to participate in? Could experience be a “stand-in” for those certifications or designations?” Consider these factors to create a more inclusionary recruitment process. 

To continue the conversation, connect with Tara Vesey on LinkedIn.