Talent Acquisition
Dear clients,
LeMaSa has just piloted a Collaborative Development Assessment Centre for Training Professionals. It took us some time to develop the Centre as we first had to do a thorough job analysis to identify the relevant competencies and then to select the simulations. Once we developed the simulations, we pre-piloted them to iron out any problems. The client worked with us in refining the simulations and to guide us in highlighting what they wanted to achieve with the Centre. I am glad to say that the pilot went well and that our client wil be able to use the centre to enhance their trainers’ competencies for the future.
LeMaSa is also exited about our plans to launch a technology platform for Assessment Centres. We are partnering with an international company and will invite all of you soon to a session where the platform will be show-cased. Virtual assessments with a personal touch will create the time and speed efficiencies that we all need.
In this edition we look at talent acquisition and the
factors driving its effectiveness, with a special emphasis
on the Employment Value Proposition. As the windy months
draw to a close, I wish you a happy and energising spring!
Kind regards
Sandra Schlebusch

Talent Acquisition involves the identification, attraction, sourcing and on-boarding of talent. A competitive talent acquisition programme is crucial to attract and retain skilled workers.
Organisations are experiencing several challenges with regards to the acquisition of talent, for example:
o The lack of workforce planning makes it difficult to do pro-active talent acquisition
o The quality of the available labour pools does not always meet the requirements
o The inability to reach (or connect with) ideal candidates
o The time that it takes to fill job vacancies
o A lack of required/competent HR resources
o Inadequate applicant tracking processes
o Confusion on how to find so-called passive applicants
o A disconnect on how younger workers need to be courted
o Lack of programmes that cater for the flexible work needs of workers that prefer part-time employment
o Organisational policies and procedures that enforce vacancy-based talent acquisition
o Labour legislation that reinforce vacancy-based talent acquisition processes
o Line managers not understanding strategic talent acquisition
o A lack of understanding with regards to social media and new technology in talent acquisition
A review of several studies shows that companies who perform well with regards to talent acquisition, implement some of the following best practices:
· Deliberately enhancing the organisation’s employer brand and reputation in the recruitment market
· Proactively searching for and communicating with potential candidates
· Marketing through new means (e.g. social networking sites, virtual worlds)
· Ensuring collaboration between hiring managers and recruiters on what skills, attributes and attitudes are desired in a candidate
· More aggressive in communicating job openings and job role needs with current staff
· Improve understanding of which applicant sources provide the best quality candidates
· Emphasising strategic workforce planning
· Improving candidate pre-screening
· Assessing candidates not only for job fit, but also company culture fit
· Being pro-active about passive candidates
· Line managers are involved in follow-through with candidates
· Beginning onboarding efforts earlier
· Soliciting new hire feedback
· Using the corporate website as a tool for showcasing the company’s culture and opportunities
· Ensuring a compelling EVP (Employment Value Proposition)
· Creating or improving a data repository of desirable active and passive job candidates in talent acquisition
· Recruiting by relationship to fill the candidate pipeline