The Short Answer

Why Finding Talent Remains Difficult

Finding good talent has always been a problem, and in the foreseeable future also it will continue to be a problem, irrespective of whatever we believe that AI will help us do in finding talent.

The recruiters will continue to flourish, because they are the ones who help find great talent.

AI can only assist in the screening side of the process, but we will still need great talent.

The Manager’s Question

So, as a manager, what can be done to get great talent?

Attract Talent, Don’t Repulse Them

First and the foremost is we need to understand that the way to find talent is to actually attract talent rather than repulse them.

What do I mean by this?

Selection vs Elimination

Finding talent is managed by a process of selection and a process of elimination.

I recommend everyone to go by the process of selection.

So, what is the process of selection and what is the process of elimination?

The Process of Elimination

The process of elimination can be explained by an example, “any person who is less than 70% marks is not allowed to apply for a position".

IN this example, we did not really focus on the skill of the person, but focused on a criteria which will remove the people from the bigger bucket.

The elimination process will filter out people like this and move to the next level of people.

For example, another criteria on the same lot of applicants could be, any person who is of a particular age, even though India legally does not say it’s illegal to do age discrimination, (but age discrimination is rampant in India, and it is a very key requirement that is asked by organisations), but irrespective, we say people of a particular age can only apply, we again filtered out people.

Reaching the Tip of the Funnel

So, this process of filtering people like this is followed to reach at a particular tip.

Once we have a particular tip of 10, 15, 20, 100 or whatever number of applicants we are comfortable with, then we start the selection process.

Where Organisations Go Wrong

Even at the tip, a lot of organisations end up doing only elimination, and end up getting what we call as survival of the fittest.

Which means we keep eliminating people based on certain criteria, certain situations with the aim only eliminate those who do not fit those criteria.

Basically stating, we are going to remove the people who cannot live up to the expectations, rather select the person who’s the best performer of a particular requirement.

How the Selection Process Works

How does the process of selection run?

Selection is basically creating an environment, whether you call it a test, whether you call it an assessment center, whether you call it an interview.

In which the queries or the questions or the situations given to the candidate are to gauge whether the person can solve the issue to now?

Can they answer this question?

And the selection team picks out the best person who answers that question.

And this is done from a standpoint of what the person is really required to do, it is related to the job for which the person is being hired.

Selection vs Academic Filters

Getting 70% marks in mechanical engineering, even though it may be for a mechanical engineering job, could be elimination.

Whereas doing a test, which is designed for the job which the person is supposed to perform, and then picking up the best person out of that, is selection.

How is it different?

You will understand more as you talk to an expert.

Principles of Selecting People

We therefore recommend that select people for a job, and not eliminate, everyone will find talent.

What are the key principles of selecting people?

Select people without looking at their education, without looking at their age, without looking at their gender, without looking at their ethnicity.

And most importantly, without looking at the brands from where they are coming.

When I say brands, do not get into narrow spheres like, these are the 10 companies from where we want to hire the person.

Focus on Skill, Not Constraints

Look at the skill.

Don’t look at all the constraints which will help eliminate, look at skill.

And remember the purpose is not to finish looking at the resumes or to look at the least number of resumes.

The aim is to hire the best candidate for the role.

the aim is to hire the best candidate for the role

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