AT THE ISPA STRONGER TOGETHER SUMMIT in May , I spoke with industry colleagues Angela Biehl , Tracey Kalimeris and Andrea Zemel about managing that kind of reinvention . Whether you are running a national portfolio or are an entrepreneur making your first hire , these simple tips we discussed during our session can help you craft a more productive , purposeful talent management strategy .
Go Beyond LinkedIn
All three panelists noted that optimizing social media is paramount for talent acquisition and development . Meet your future employees where they spend time today — not just LinkedIn , but platforms such as Facebook , Instagram and Twitter . You can use these platforms both as a means of marketing new job openings , but also to convey your employer brand . Encourage employees to share exciting news about the company on social media , and make sure that leaders and other employees are showing support by “ liking ” or commenting on those posts . Nothing entices a prospective candidate more than seeing other similarly-leveled employees bragging about how great their company is or seeing colleagues support each other online .
Share a Vision for their Future
Find ways to demonstrate a future career path that candidates might find fulfilling . Early-career candidates or candidates entering the industry may not be aware of the travel or relocation opportunities that working in the spa industry can provide . By showcasing the ways that a job in the spa industry can help candidates pursue their personal values , spas have a better chance of forming a strong connection with a candidate and competing against job opportunities in sectors with less alluring benefits . Panelists mentioned that a helpful way to do this might be to describe or introduce prospective candidates to other employees who have relocated within the company or been promoted to higher leadership positions over time .
Employee Experience Starts Before the Offer Letter
Though the signed offer letter officially marks the beginning of an employee ’ s new job with you , the employee experience actually starts from the first time you contact them . It is vitally important to ensure that every step of the recruiting process reflect the thought and care you will put into the employee once they are fully on board . On the panel , we discussed candidates “ ghosting ” ( i . e ., not showing up or returning calls ) either during the interview process or before their first day of work . In order to prevent this from happening during your recruitment process , stay in close contact with candidates via any means necessary — text , phone or app — and make it easy for candidates to contact you as well . Moreover , making sure you keep in close communication throughout the process ( i . e ., checking in even if there is no update to give ) gives them a sense of security and well-being that makes a world of difference in their first few months on the job . n
“ Out of sheer necessity , your talent management process probably looks a lot different than it did in 2019 — this is an opportunity to reinvent the way you approach that process altogether . Years from now , when this year feels like a distant memory , you may wish you had taken the chance to reset .”
ALISON HARRIGAN is a Principal in Korn Ferry ’ s San Francisco office , where she is a specialist in Travel , Hospitality & Leisure . Alison brings strong industry expertise and background in recruiting C-suite and board executives to companies in the casino / gaming , hospitality , travel , and leisure sectors .
AUGUST 2021 ■ PULSE 49