Article

No less than the best: Attracting top talent in 2014

Seven ways ATM deployers can make sure they're not sabotaging their efforts to recruit the industry's best and brightest.

January 7, 2014

by Terrina R. Rishel
CEO, ATM Authority 

The beginning of a new year is a logical time for a business to take a fresh look at best practices, organizational procedures and anticipated personnel requirements. That last item is taking on increased importance as ATMs and their operations continue to grow in sophistication and complexity — driven by rule-setting agencies and consumers alike.

This is the time to ask yourself key questions about your organization: Do you want to compete at the highest levels? Are you attracting and hiring the talent to help you do that?

A star candidate's first experience of your company and its operating style will be your hiring process. To make sure you're not turning away talented candidates right out of the gate, ask yourself if you're meeting these seven criteria:

1. Make the hiring process flexible

In many cases, when a highly seasoned professional is asked to consider joining an organization, that individual is already happy in his or her current position. Asking top talent to submit a resumé through the usual channels might not be the best approach when you are the one pursuing a candidate. In this case, minimize the process so that they become quickly engaged.

2. Create a favorable first impression

A great first impression begins when the resumé arrives. How soon do you send a response? What form does it take? What's the tone of it? Is the message, "What can you do for me?" or "How can we work together?" Top talent uses the HR process to assess whether an organization is giving lip service to its mission statement and vision. Treating candidates as though they need you more than you need them limits your chance of hiring them.

3. Do the things you say you will

Even when top talent is pursuing the opportunity, the hiring process determines how avidly they pursue it. It leaves a poor impression if an interviewer tells the applicant, "I'll call you in a couple of days," then allows weeks go by without contact. Essentially, this says that you can't do the little things, and you probably won't do the big things either! This behavior speaks volumes about what it will be like to work within your organizational culture. People with choices don't beg for positions — they select other opportunities.

4. Ensure that HR staff are not competing with one another

If you compensate your HR staff like salespeople, they'll hoard the best resumés for positions assigned to them. Top talent falls through the cracks if the HR team won't share contacts and resumés. The company suffers from the loss of talent, and the organization's reputation is tarnished. If the perception is that what matters most to the HR person is achieving goals and bonuses, top talent won't join.

5. Update the hiring process

What message does your hiring process send? Do you ask candidates to fill out an application after they have submitted a resumé and cover letter, and created a profile on your website? Do you then ask them to take a personality test, math skills test, and aptitude test before anyone speaks to them? Such screening repels top talent. They are not interested in jumping through your hoops. They want to speak to someone about the opportunity — and not to be treated like students or interns. They view the hurdles as major red flags.

6. Take an open-minded hiring approach

Top talent often gets passed up because job descriptions and hiring mentality are too narrow. In many cases, it might be wise to go outside of the industry to find someone with leadership skills. Teaching a talented hire about the ATM industry is typically easier than training an individual to fit into your culture. You're losing top talent if your job descriptions and hiring mentality are too narrow.

7. Make enterpreneurial candidates feel welcome

You want to attract entrepreneurial employees because they are self-motivated and creative. But when interviewers ask, "Why would you want to work for us?" the tone is perceived as one of suspicion. Entrepreneurs are averse to hard-and-fast rules, hoops and red tape. If you seek people with an entrepreneurial spirit, don't chase them off by questioning their motives — sell them on the opportunity to contribute their skills to a worthy organization. When you inspire top talent, you give yourself a chance to hire them.

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photo: myaccountnice