The expression “war for talent” was coined in 1997. Since then, the battle for the best talent has grown significantly and companies’ complaints about the lack of competent employees have become a mantra.

HR marketing

However, there are still companies that are so popular that they receive over 100,000 blind applications every year, including a large number of high potentials. The number of these ” employers of choice ” is small, however.

Most companies do not receive enough qualified applications for job advertisements.The reason for this is that in many places, personnel marketing does not yet have the same importance as sales marketing. However, the principles for success are practically identical:

Where do we stand with our offer (Employee Value Proposition: working conditions,
contractual terms) in comparison with our competitors on the labor market (positioning)?

Where are we most likely to find the workers we need (contact points)
and how can we reach them most successfully (communication tools)?

This second criterion for success is also the responsibility of the specialist managers. They know the places where the relevant specialists go (training centers, conferences, etc.). Experience has shown that this is where the greatest potential lies.

Fill key positions

Companies lose the most money by filling key positions incorrectly. Unwanted fluctuation, suboptimal suitability and the resulting loss of performance usually cause far more costs than changes in the market. The most expensive thing in a company is therefore people who make the wrong personnel decisions!

Despite this insight, in many places the selection of suitable candidates is unprofessional and characterized by prejudiced gut decisions, popular psychological personality analyses or simply incompetence. There are, however, selection methods that have significantly  better performance  . Instead of general personal requirement criteria, it is worthwhile to compile a list of desired behaviors – similar to an assessment center requirement – and then test them using the interview technique from the critical incident theory.

Management Development/Talent Retention

Good employees today expect to be able to develop within the company, in terms of their career and/or at least in terms of competence. Management development has therefore become an indispensable measure.  In-house training  also makes it possible to ensure a unité de doctrine and thus develop a more uniform corporate culture among managers.  Inter-company seminars  bring new perspectives and ideas and valuable contacts for expanding the personal network.