Some methods have been highlighted which can help firms excel at talent recruitment of sales personnel. Companies must not rely excessively on bio-data or interviews. Neither must they presume that prior experience within that sector is a necessity. Instead ‘test drives’ or practical checks must be made. A novel method tried out by Revenue Engines is to actually onboard potential personnel for a period of four to eight weeks and then actually ask them to sell during that period before hiring. However, this process will only work if the employer provides genuine management training during this process. In that way, even the rejected candidate goes back with knowledge while the one who clears through is already armed with working knowledge so can start on middle gear straight away.

Source:http://www.business2community.com/strategy/3-ways-disrupt-revamp-sales-hiring-process-01743297#OSly7vxB1SzSELRZ.97

Unfortunately, due to the market’s unquenchable thirst for growth, extremely high targets are often set by the top management. Due to such monetary maximization targets, individuals and teams often resort to unethical practices. As a team leader, one can request to get them reduced but it rarely works out this way. Instead some other more subtle means exist to ward off such counter-productive targets. First of all, request can be made on additional talent recruitment to meet the massive needs. Also detailed analysis must be made on why such unreasonable targets have been set. One needs to dig into historical data to see if such achievements have been recorded in the past. This will help the team leader in understanding whether any unethical practices were committed to execute such targets or whether genuine ways are possible to achieve them. It is pertinent to understand that employees will only take to such unethical practices when the normal routes are closed, so all means must be made to keep alive the organic path.

Source:https://hbr.org/2017/01/managing-a-team-thats-been-asked-to-do-too-much

It is well known that in today’s working environment Emotional Intelligence (EI) is equally if not more important than the better known IQ (Intelligence Quotient). Several people however aren’t very good at it, so some methods have been acknowledged which may help achieve the same. Even while executing talent management, emotional awareness will help manage teams. A lot of people high on IQ but low on EI are known to be narcissistic to the point of being self-centred. If a part of that self-focus could be diverted to others’ and group goals, first steps will be taken towards achieving EI. This includes brief yet frequent discussions with colleagues to understand other’s strengths and weaknesses. The person can try to be a more rewarding personality with a positive outlook and be less pessimistic, argumentative and confrontational. Temper ought to be controlled as excessive emotional transparency is not required. While the person must try to be humble, sometimes it just doesn’t work out. So he/she must at least try to appear humble, even if it is fake. A lot of these emotionally challenged personalities have a tendency towards self-deception. In such cases, the disparity between one’s imagined self and the real one needs to be bridged in order to have realistic self-awareness. Personality tests or holistic feedback surveys can be ideal tools to deduce the same.

Source:https://hbr.org/2017/01/how-to-boost-your-and-others-emotional-intelligence

Since performance reviews have been deemed as instrumental in talent management and attribution, a study has identified a few ways which if followed rightly can prove to be extremely effective. The management training of employees must be encouraged using the method of engaging conversations instead of bland reporting. A culture of transparency must be created so that employees are open enough to make suggestions or improvise on work processes. The ‘black box’ of performance management where evaluation metrics are obscure tends to turn employees suspicious. Like modern marketing, even performance management must be personalized towards individual needs. Some companies have successfully experimented with allowing more decision making by employees themselves. It is very important that employees know what exactly they are being evaluated against. Properly defined metrics must be put in place.

Source:http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2057719/bonus-time-five-ways-get-your-performance-reviews-right

Increasingly fresh graduates as well as seasoned pros are debating whether to join finance or technology fields. With finance and banking ever contracting post the recession, such professionals are increasingly flocking to the tech industry. Talent recruitment at tech firms especially at startups though is significantly different to that at finance companies. First of all in the IT industry, a knack for getting things done with a positive attitude is valued more than pure credentials such as bio-data. In the finance industry, money is ultimately the sole driver of performances, but in tech others things also get valued during the hiring process such as work-life balance, ethics and organizational culture. The world of finance expects individuals to maintain organizational and industry norms, but tech values people who are self-starters so they can drive business themselves for the organization. On a similar note, IT firms especially startups prefer those who can start straight away rather than go through a lengthy onboarding stage. Brain teasers are a commonly used trope for recruitment at finance firms, but this method has been ditched by tech ones.

Source:http://fortune.com/2016/12/30/startups-vs-tech-hiring/

The Ohio Buckeyes football team in 1968 started an experiment to incentivize team players. Individuals with stellar performances with rewarded at the end of each game. The team won the championship that year and this practice got adopted across the league. However, by 2001 this practice had long ceased to be effective and the Buckeyes hadn’t done well on the national scene for years. The new coach discontinued this trend and replaced it by rewarding an entire unit for success in the common targets for example the offensive unit for scoring points. They once again won the championship and by now this practice has proved to be far more sustainable as a measure of talent management. Human beings have long been social animals so group goals tend to motivate us more. We also bask in the glory of our colleagues’ successes. Thus in order to build strong group cohesion, leaders must take a few replicable steps. One of them is to realize that employees have social needs and work towards them. Also rewards must be set for achieving the overall corporate strategy and not individual departmental ones, as that practice encourages impenetrable silos to develop. However such an approach could have a downside in encouraging free-ridership. Thus some forms of individual targets must also be set. So that the organization structure doesn’t get rigid, some form of dissent within the group must be allowed.

Source:https://hbr.org/2016/12/the-problem-with-rewarding-individual-performers?referral=00563&cm_mmc=email-_-newsletter-_-daily_alert-_-alert_date&utm_source=newsletter_daily_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=alert_date&spMailingID=16213556&spUserID=OTY0OTMwNTk5NwS2&spJobID=922436335&spReportId=OTIyNDM2MzM1S0

Several mid-sized companies have realized that it is futile to try to hold on to top talent, when opportunities for them will be limited at the organization once they reach a certain level. Inflated designations and increased payments can only limit the outflow, but eventually the very best would still want to join other places for fresher challenges. On the corollary companies themselves go to great lengths to execute talent recruitment, but sometimes do the opposite for retrenchment. Thus, the realization has set in that it is best to not only let the best of talent leave, instead the company actively engages in mapping their exit plans. This allows only the most motivated personnel to remain part. Companies have realized some benefits of this approach such as improved employee engagement leading to better retention. The succession planning is now more predictable while transitions are smoother. It also builds the employer branding which enhances its stakes during recruitment rounds.

Source:https://www.fastcompany.com/3064912/lessons-learned/why-my-company-started-helping-our-best-employees-quit?partner=rss