Talent First Recruiting
To win top talent, a "talent first" approach to recruiting must be adopted. A talent-centric approach puts people and their career aspirations first which builds trust, instills confidence, and establishes rapport between the recruiter and candidate. This dynamic is the surest way to gain an influence in the candidate's career move decision, thereby ensuring the highest likelihood of your offer being accepted; nothing is more critical in a fiercely competitive talent market.
Ultimately, Talent First Recruiting is a highly relationship-based recruiting approach. Understandably, most highly talented people respond better to the approach that focuses on their career aspiration. With Talent First Recruiting™, the recruiter is analogous to that of a talent agent in professional sports.
| Traditional Recruiting | Talent First Recruiting | |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Sales (sell a job) | Marketing (market an opportunity) |
| Objective | Fill vacancy | Advance career |
| Scenario | One opportunity, multiple candidates | One candidate, multiple opportunities |
| Timing | Immediate: the best job available today | When the right opportunity comes along |
| Candidate Type | Mostly active | Mostly passive |
| Candidate Motivation | Tactical move (e.g., compensation, title, location etc.) | Strategic move (e.g., challenge, growth, learning, mentor etc.) |
| Employer Quality | Less important | Extremely important |
| Focus | Client needs | Candidate needs |
| Relationship | Transactional | Trusted adviser |
