Recap of HCI’s 2013 Talent Acquisition Technology Forum
Besides raving about delicious food at the Palace Hotel, the attendee buzz in the room was around the latest technologies for talent acquisition. Presenters from Nike, Accenture, Sony Electronics, General Electric, Microsoft and other companies shared their stories around the implementation of and best practices with talent acquisition technologies. Attendees huddled around the booths in the exhibit hall, while sponsors demoed their latest innovations.
Learning about the best technologies is what brought everyone together to HCI’s first annual Talent Acquisition Technology Forum in San Francisco. However, conference attendees discovered more than just the latest and greatest innovations. Below are some themes from the two days of sessions:
Don’t lead with technology. Shahbaz Alibaig, Recruitment Technology Leader, Talent Recruitment at General Electric warned the audience, “don’t start with technology, start with people, processes, and structure." Shahbaz shared GE’s story with implementing a candidate relationship management (CRM) transition where careful attention was paid to what would work for the culture of GE. That message was picked up by Lou Alder from the Alder Group, who started out his presentation stating that he was not a fan of using technology as a solution but that “strategy drives tactics”. Lou explained that since over 80% of the talent market for high-demand people is passive, the focus must be on building processes and programs that meet their needs. Again, focus on the people aspect first, not the technological solution.
Look at the entire talent lifecycle, not just acquisition. This idea was exemplified by Christine DiDonato’s, Director of Talent and Organizational Development at Sony Electronics, presentation. Sony Electronics created a career management tool aimed to recruit and retain millennials.
Choose talent-branding tactics that are reflective of your culture. Richard Lishewski, Director of Global Recruiting at Nike, explained how his team uses the tactics of instantly communicating with candidates, connecting with people early in their career, and telling stories with digital media. Denise Novosel, Staffing Director at Microsoft Xbox, explained how Microsoft uses digital influencers and social networks for their talent branding. Both presenters showcased some of their talent brand videos. Nike’s videos were high-impact and characteristic of their commercial media. Microsoft’s videos were made using a camera-phone, yet told an effective story. Different methods depend on company culture and budget; the tactics applied by both Nike and Microsoft made them successful at recruiting.
What were your biggest takeaways from the conference? You can continue the discussion on Twitter using hashtag #hcievents.
