Short on Recruiter Headcount? Consider Talent Scouts

Most of the recruitment functions I have seen do have one thing in common…..they are grossly understaffed to deliver on the talent acquisition needs of the organization they serve. Recruitment has always had to make do with small or non-existent budgets and headcount, and has learned to adapt and survive with the resources available to them. What is a Talent Scout program then you ask….and why would I consider one for my company? I will quote Dr. John Sullivan from the ERE here as I think he sums the definition up nicely:

“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. “

Talent Scout programs effectively increase the reach and overall capability of the recruiting function. Not so fast though when considering this type of program for your company, as there are some pluses and minuses to consider:

The Pluses

• Talent Scouts can leverage and bring their personal professional networks and contacts to your company
• More people out there talking about and selling your organization
• A Scout Program will generate some excitement around recruiting in your company, and should increases engagement
• Strong upfront technical screening
• This type of program is relatively quite inexpensive, and you can implement quickly

The Minuses

• If your Scouts are spending their time recruiting, they are probably spending less time doing the job they were hired for
• Talent Scouts are not trained HR or Recruitment professional (usually), so do you really want them out there recruiting for you? Training for these folks is a must before you send them out there
• Difficult to control the consistency of the message or value prop that Scouts are distributing
• Not a replacement for a good ERP

Next week - regional specific recruitment challenges. Apparently companies are experiencing recruitment and retention difficulties in Western Canada???