Hire for Attitude and Cultural Fit (#3 Agile HR Theme)
Hiring in a Lean | Agile Enterprise is no longer about simply finding people with the right technical skills. Alternatively, they pursue people whose expertise is coupled with abilities to thrive in self-organizing, responsive teams. Their Talent Acquisition is a team-based approach; a dedicated HR team not only supports a hiring and onboarding process in line with Agile thinking but also proactively connects with talented people long before a vacancy opens up.
This article is part of the series “Aligning Key Themes in Human Resources to Lean | Agile Values & Principles”
Building a vigorous workforce starts with identifying, attracting, and hiring the right people. But finding top talent is increasingly difficult, which leaves organizations to deal with considerable financial impacts.
This is how Agile Enterprises get a competitive edge on Talent Acquisition:
- Build a strong employer brand: Agile is a magnet for talented people. Enterprises can – and should – endorse and promote their employer brand accordingly.
- Proactively attract & engage talent: Recruitment starts long before a new vacancy comes up. The Talent Acquisition team must continuously reach out and connect with interesting people to pull them into the talent pipeline.
- Employ for attitude & cultural fit: Professional expertise is important, but Agile teams prosper when they hire candidates with the right attitude and cultural fit. After all, their success depends on the collective and collaborative skills of the team.
- Inspire candidates with a larger sense of purpose: Agile people need a sense of purpose. Letting candidates experience what drives the organization is the best way to inspire them. This is strengthened by being genuine and dependable throughout the whole process.
- Make a solid, team-based decision: Talent acquisition is a shared responsibility and no hiring decision should be made without the backing of the team. After all no employee can thrive without team support. Therefore, the team must be actively included in the hiring process.
- Excel at onboarding: Agile practices are unbeatable in getting new people up to speed once on board. Prior to that, however, pre-integration activities, interactions, and access to information can further enhance the onboarding experience, without losing out on the otherwise idle period between contract and first day at work. Post onboarding support includes communication and touch points to avoid unnecessary hire’s remorse.
A high-quality recruitment process reduces the risk of bad hires and subsequent disruptions to the flow and performance of the team(s).
Are you ready to invest in a team-based Talent Acquisition process?
