Has your business been able to maintain operations during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you taking the long look at how to move forward? The people on your team will play a crucial role in advancing your business goals. Do you have the right players in the right slots? Are they all performing at the top of their game? If you have talent holes, how will you fill them? Continue reading to learn the four-part approach to upgrade your talent…

A proactive approach to upgrade your talent involves these four steps

Depending on your business focus during COVID-19, what you offer might be needed now more than ever. Or perhaps it is time to re-evaluate your business direction and revise your strategies for the coming days of what could be a very different market.

Evaluate

You cannot move purposely toward a destination without knowing where you are now. Start by identifying where your people are crushing it, and where performance is lackluster. Then, drill down to individual employees. Who are your superstars, and who seems satisfied to simply put in the time and draw a paycheck? Pull together a manager team to identify your A, B, and C players on each team.
Additionally, if you anticipate any changes in corporate goals or if you desire significant growth, examine whether your org chart needs to be revised to support that new direction or product line.

Scout and develop internally

Do you have people on the B or C team who show potential to grow into the stars you need them to be? This may not be likely for the C players, but some B players may show potential to become A players. Again, tap your management team for insights on their direct reports. Then create growth opportunities in the form of stretch projects, education, and coaching.
“By cultivating talent pools internally, you are ensuring that you will have experienced and trained employees prepared to assume leadership roles as they become available,” says this SAP HR Insights article on developing a high-performing workforce.
Draft new players for your team
After looking within, it might become evident that you need to bring on someone new. Partnering with an experienced recruiter with ties to your industry is a wise step at this point, to help you stand out from the crowd and to help find the best candidates for your needs.
Before you list any jobs, though, carefully review your job descriptions. “Improve your recruiting process by identifying high-quality candidates using job descriptions based upon the expertise of your high-performing employees holding uniquely valued company or industry competencies,” advises the SAP article. In other cases, a new job description might need to be created for a role that does not yet exist.
Also consider that current economic workforce conditions will require your business to be very flexible for the foreseeable future. Make sure the new hires you add to your team also have the ability to flex and adapt as your business needs evolve.
Build a bench
You will no doubt interview more candidates than you will hire. This is an excellent opportunity to build a bench of people who might not be a perfect match right now but who, like your existing internal B team, show potential to develop into star players. They are interested in your company or they would not have interviewed. Continue to nurture your relationships with them in ways that go beyond “We’ll keep your resume on file,” without making any false promises. It’s a fact of life that the future is unknown. Think of it as scouting: Well-crafted recruiting experiences can create a pipeline for the next hire.
The rise in unemployment due to coronavirus is tragic. It does change the hiring scenario. “Smart companies are always looking for star players. During times like this, there are many to be had,” says Bradsby Group CEO, Gary Peay. The opportunity your company offers for a talented individual to excel could dovetail with their need to find a brighter future.

How can your business strategically upgrade your talent and knock it out of the park?

Our experienced recruiters are ready to help you upgrade your talent and fill any gaps you might identify. We are receiving resumes every day from highly accomplished candidates — right now could be the time to score an A player. Contact us today to get started.