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Not Enough Recruiters? Maybe You Need a Talent Scout Program
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Are you facing talent shortages? Do you need more help but have no headcount for more recruiters? Are you working in an industry where talent isn’t that visible? If you answered yes, you are not alone.
Despite legislation that makes the recruiting process more laborious, an increase in the complexity of skills needed, a global talent shortage, demands from candidates for a better experience, and boatloads of recruiting technology that no longer seem relevant, a significant number of organizations are not resourcing their staffing functions to even ensure minimum levels of productivity.
You can sit back and cry, or you can start investigating recruiting models that unofficially increase your resources. Consider a Designated Talent Scout Program, which may increase your number of recruiters by a factor of 10 to 100 but does not formally allocate new headcount. This type of program is also known as a Recruiting Assistant Program.
A talent scout program is a volunteer program where qualified employees are selected to become designated talent scouts who will recruit in their spare time. Talent-scout applicants are accepted based on their passion for the organization, their ability to articulate a compelling value proposition, and their access to a network of potential candidates.
Each designated scout must complete a self-directed training course (usually online) to ensure they know the organization’s expectations. This program increases the number of individuals who are actively recruiting within any organization. While this program may sound like a traditional employee referral program, it is quite different.
When designed correctly, employee referral programs are powerful tools that produce both high-volume and high-quality hires. However, most referral programs are poorly designed and even more poorly executed, so a talent scout program can and should run in tandem.
This targeted recruiting program differs in several key areas:
In addition to the above differentiating design factors, there are other benefits of having a Designated Talent Scout Program, including the following:
Every organization is unique, but there are some factors to consider when selecting a designated talent scout. Some recommended selection criteria include:
You might think that having a talent scout or recruiting assistant program is a “pie-in-the-sky” idea, but if you thought that, you’d be wrong. Let’s look at an example of how the program has produced amazing results in the Army National Guard.
In 2006, the National Guard implemented an incredibly successful talent scout program known as G-RAP (Guard – Recruiting Assistant Program). The National Guard hadn’t met its recruiting goals since 2003, and in 2005, missed its goal by a whopping 5,000 recruits. Now, largely because of the recruiting assistant program, it exceeds its recruiting goals. The National Guard reports that during its initial 19 months of operation, the program brought in 35,000 enlistments. This result is even more amazing given their own admission about “how frequently guard units are being dispatched to war zones.”
In addition to the initial recruiting (not done when they are “on duty”), the Guard’s program expects its participants, designated as “recruiting assistants,” to also:
The program has received widespread acceptance and now boasts 107,000 part-time recruiter assistants. Talent scouts earn a $2,000 bonus, and individual recruiting assistants have earned as much as $20,000 per year under the program. The Guard’s program is administered by a contractor (Docupak, Inc.).
Will it take away from an employee’s current job? In every successful organization, it’s everyone’s job to be continually looking out for talent, so the concept of involving employees in recruiting is nothing new. The designated talent scout program has design elements that aid in keeping the time spent recruiting to a reasonable level.
First, it’s made clear to everyone that the designated talent scout position is a “spare time” position. In addition, because these trained scouts are in a position to influence a large number of people, they can produce significant results without putting in a lot of time. If you’re concerned about employees going to excess, limit the maximum number of recruits per quarter. However, these employees are already used to balancing competing tasks on a daily basis, so it’s highly likely that they already know when enough is enough.
Is the talent scout program a replacement for, or a supplement to, the employee referral program? It can be a supplement, but if you are currently getting high-volume or low-quality referrals under your existing process, the talent scout program can, in fact, replace a poorly performing employee referral program.
What are the costs? Much depends on your program’s design, but expect extra costs from creating a screening process for your designated talent scouts (this can be automated using a point system on your website) and developing a training seminar for your new talent scouts (self-directed online program guide). The National Guard reports that its “cost per hire” under its program is a quite reasonable $4,300, which includes the optional referral bonus.
Is the program limited to employees? It can be, however, I recommend that it be open to a broader audience. The program could also include retirees, selected former employees, vendors, and even employee spouses.
What are the downsides? If you are selective in whom you designate as a talent scout, people who are rejected are likely to be unhappy. You might also have difficulty convincing your busiest employees to participate. Once you get a few of the “movers and shakers” to join, the others will follow. If you get the CEO or other senior people involved early, you’ll get more volunteers.
For decades, I have been one of the strongest proponents of referral programs, but now there is hard evidence that a narrower and more focused variation can produce amazing results.
If you work in an organization that has a large percentage of externally visible employees, consider adding a designated talent scout program. Here is your chance to build a competitive advantage and to separate yourself from your talent competitors.