The new story about talent acquisition

Recruitment leaders at Crowe TXBizCon 2022 discussed important lessons learned during their careers.

It's no secret that the landscape around talent acquisition has shifted drastically over the past few years. Now we know; there's no going back to the status quo.

During our November 2022 TXBizCon event, Crowe Texas market leader Sheila Enriquez moderated a conversation about the current talent climate. We heard interesting insights from Crowe chief people officer Katie Hamada and Crowe strategic networks leader Herschel Frierson. Here are the key takeaways.

Create a clear value proposition for potential employees

When it comes to attracting high-quality employees, it's important to be clear about the benefits of working at your company and to define your differentiating characteristics. What exactly are you offering? What makes you different than other companies in your field? For example, maybe you have great mentorship programs or frequent bonuses. Make sure you're clear on what you are offering and how it compares to the competition, and then communicate that. Your offering story also should be compelling and demonstrate the organization’s pride in what it provides to candidates.

Notably, career development (or its buzzier synonym, “upskilling”) has been touted as one of the most decisive factors for 48% of employees when it came to where they accepted employment.¹ And 63% of U.S. workers who left their jobs in 2021 chose to due to a lack of advancement opportunities.² When you are interviewing, make a point to cast the vision for the prospective employee's future with the company. Once they're hired, design a road map together.

Embody your values across the board

Many employees in the early stages of their careers are leaving organizations that don't share their values. It's important to be clear about what your organization’s purposes and values are, and then follow through on the actions that support them.

For high-quality talent to feel welcome in your organization, an inclusive environment is crucial. These days, prospective employees and clients likely will ask what you’re doing for your people and the community before deciding if they'll work with you. They want to know: Are you good at what you do, but also, are you good for the world? Does your organization reflect what the larger community looks like?

Herschel's recruitment advice for creating an inclusive, diverse team: "If you go to the same pond, you're going to get the same fish. You need to go to a different pond."

Go above and beyond to engage employees

Well-being is a business priority. Eight in 10 working adults (81%) agree that employers have an obligation to prioritize their employees’ mental health.³ And according to Katie, community connection is a major factor in mental health and well-being.

A sense of connectivity can be challenging to create in a remote environment, so Katie recommends prioritizing at least some level of in-person connection, even if infrequently. She noted that engagement among coworkers visibly increased in offices that held periodic events just for fun. "Learning just happens differently when you're in person."

It makes a big difference to go a little deeper with employees when you have the opportunity. "I think it can be as simple as taking that moment to say, 'How are you really doing today?’” Katie continued. “Whether it's during the first five minutes of a phone call, or in the hallway, or at the coffee machine. It’s about reminding ourselves that we're all human."

Support employees to explore and grow

As mentioned, it's good to discuss a vision for each employee's career path at the company. It demonstrates that you're invested in them and their growth. It's also a good idea to support exploration within the company, even within different departments.

"If someone wants to move from audit to accounting advisory, they don't have to leave Crowe to do that. They can move internally, get training, be agile, and continue to progress in their career," said Katie.

"Rather than have people leave your company, think about what you can do to retain them. It might be in a different role, a different part of your organization. We are very focused on being one team, one Crowe."

Sheila added, "It's really about finding that intersection of the firm's values and the individual's values. That's where the magic happens."

Be flexible, agile, and intentional

To keep up with the pace of change in today's business environment, recruiting teams and people managers must stay on their toes and press on.

If one thing is clear, it's that hybrid and remote work are here to stay. In fact, 82% of companies now acknowledge that hybrid work is not a passing trend.⁴ It's no longer considered a differentiator for job-seeking individuals; it's a standard.

Hybrid work environments pose benefits and challenges, and an extra dose of intentionality and creativity when it comes to connection is necessary to make it work. 

"At the end of the day, we're in a people business," said Herschel. "I think what the pandemic has taught us is that we forgot to appreciate the human element of work. I know I did until it was taken away. So now, we have to be more intentional about our people. One idea is to send an employee a food delivery gift card and say, ‘Let's just jump on a call and talk about life.’ Life can be rough, and we have to recognize that, right? It’s all about having those conversations and continuing that human element. If you want the best out of people, you have to be a part of the people."

Here’s to people-centered recruitment and leadership.

Listen to the full session