The Shape of Work

#37: Katrina Collier on the must-have skills for Talent Acquisition professionals

July 20, 2021 Springworks Season 1 Episode 37
The Shape of Work
#37: Katrina Collier on the must-have skills for Talent Acquisition professionals
Show Notes

What are the skills that a talent acquisition professional should have? 
What are the facts about hiring which most companies are unaware of?

To find answers to these questions, we interacted with Katrina Collier, facilitator in Recruitment & Candidate Experience at the Searchologist.

The author of “The Robot-Proof Recruiter”, a well-loved global keynote speaker, and the host of “The Hiring Partner Perspective (Unedited)” podcast. Katrina talks about her mission to energise the human connection between HR, recruiters & hiring managers to improve the recruitment process and candidate experience.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

Tell us something that most Hiring Managers don’t know:

Katrina explains that most hiring managers do not consider CV hunting as a worthy task. They think recruiting managers simply have to advertise. In reality, recruiting is quite a complicated task.
Moreover, the biggest change occurred with the explosion of the internet. All the papers started appearing online and companies started getting direct access. However, these hiring managers don’t know that they are being looked up as well. Thus they need to be more aware regarding what they write. Their posts need to be empathetic.

Managing relationships between Hiring Managers, Talent Acquisition professionals, and HR:

According to Katrina, a few communication issues are prevailing between the Talent Acquisition professionals, Human Resources, and Hiring Managers. It arises problems of politics and misunderstandings between them. However, it is the responsibility of all three to ensure good relations with each other. There is always a debate regarding where talent acquisition should be in an organization.

Katrina answers that it should be outside Human Resources, plugging in the Hiring, Marketing, or the Sales department, and being proactive rather than reactive.
With the onset of the internet, it has become mandatory for them to be truthful online. All three departments identify the problems and find the solutions to them. Most importantly, they need to understand that it is the employees that make a company succeed. Finance is a secondary factor here.

Skills one should have to partner with the hiring candidates:

The HR or Talent Acquisition professional needs to know what the Hiring managers want. The candidates need to learn how to trust, be curious, and be empathetic. If they don’t create this clarity and certainty for the candidate, they can’t build a good relationship with them.
Katrina is a big supporter of feedback and discards the idea of leaving interview candidates confused without feedback. They should show compassion towards the candidate.

Factors comprising candidate experience:

Katrina again highlights the importance of feedback here. The candidates are extremely energetic while applying for different roles. The recruiters can simply match that level of excitement by sending them tips of job search, behind the scenes, adding value, and letting people know where they are. The candidates might be telling their experiences to others. Bad reviews can lead to a loss in the business. She adds that Human Resources, Hiring Managers, and Talent Acquisition professionals should partner together and have open conversations. Basic courtesy such as keeping the camera on can make the candidate feel relaxed.

Follow her on LinkedIn & Twitter

Produced by: Priya Bhatt
Podcast host: Abhash Kumar