50 ways to be a Talent Maker: Insights for talent leaders

4 mins, 21 secs read time

Talent Makers believe talent is their top business priority – and act on it. They champion better hiring to drive their businesses forward toward sustained success. We’re excited to launch our latest eBook, 50 Ways to be a Talent Maker. The strategies and tips in this guide have been compiled through interviews with experts who are already using these tactics in their own companies. This eBook will help you refine your Talent Maker mindset and bring it to life. Want a sneak peek? We reveal a few of our tips for talent leaders below. A quick refresher: A talent leader brings a culture of hiring, making it a priority for the whole company.

Tip #5: Evaluate hiring as a skill

According to the >Workplace Intelligence Report, the majority of hiring teams and managers are unprepared to make smart, data-driven hiring decisions. Only 39% have received some interview training, only 40% use interview guides and nearly 20% of respondents claim that hiring is completely unstructured at their companies.

If you’re committed to creating a culture where Talent Makers thrive, how do you overcome the status quo? It all starts with the way you hire the people who will make future hiring decisions. Very meta.

When interviewing for senior roles, be sure to evaluate how much of a talent leader each candidate is. Make it an explicit part of the interview process.

Here are some possible questions to ask:

• Tell me about the most challenging role you’ve hired for and, if you successfully filled it, what made the difference?
• How did you successfully partner with your recruiting team?

Tip #9: Survey all candidates

How do candidates feel after going through your interview process? Hint: The only way to know is by asking them. Candidate surveys don’t just help you improve your candidate experience – they prompt you to actively examine what great talent in your industry values.

Here are a few of our tips for effective candidate surveys:

• Send a survey after the interviews are complete – for example, automate your survey to go out two weeks after an onsite interview or the equivalent milestone
• Benchmark your data against your past performance and other companies – if you’re a Greenhouse customer, you can see how your numbers compare to our customers’ average
• Use this feedback as a competitive advantage to improve your interview process and candidate experience

Want to explore this topic in more detail? Check out our quick guide to candidate surveys here.

Tip #11: Think long term

When your company is growing quickly, it’s easy to focus on short-term solutions. But adopting the Talent Maker mindset is all about taking the long view, when it comes to both how you hire and who you hire.

Start by training everyone on interview best practices. Don’t assume that today’s leaders are the only ones who are worth investing in. When you teach everyone how to interview, you promote a more thoughtful approach to hiring. Plus, you show all employees you care about their future by giving them the tools they’ll need tomorrow.

If you’re actively hiring, think long term about the skills your team will need. Rather than hiring precisely for an open role, what experiences do you want the person to bring that will benefit your team in the next year or two? Imagine what skills and experiences a new hire can bring to your company over the next few years.

Interview kits can help with the how and the who of hiring. Check out our simple guide to designing interview kits here.

Tip #13: Look at the big picture

Talent leaders know how to articulate the connection between the contributions of their team members and the bottom line of the business. As Saul Weiner, Head of Talent Acquisition at One Medical, puts it, “Business success is driven by people success.”

You should always be able to explain how a person in this position will contribute to the overall progress of your department, your company and your industry.

Plus, meaning and purpose are hugely influential for candidates. According to the Workplace Intelligence Report, 61% of respondents agree or strongly agree it’s important to find meaning beyond the contribution made to their employer in their work.

When a hiring manager can tell a story about the greater impact someone will have by taking on this role, candidates listen. You may also find you have a different perspective on the “right” candidate when considering roles through this lens.

Tip #16: Show your commitment

Being a talent leader is less about what you say and more about what you do. How do your actions show your commitment to building a Talent Maker culture?

Here are a few of the ways you can walk to talk like talent leaders:

• Participate in career fairs or other hiring events
• Continue to interview candidates – no matter how fancy your title is
• Refer people from your own network
• Add hiring activities to your calendar – and keep them there

Show your organization what you value. If you do, they'll value it too.

Download the eBook to learn all the other ways to be a Talent Maker.

Download the eBook