Capturing (or attracting, which is what most companies refer to) talent, managing talent and developing talent has always been the primary focus of all successful organisations. Even unsuccessful organisations espouse to this goal, though they may not necessarily attain those goals.
How do we go about capturing talent? I like the use of the word capturing because whether you poach or entice potential talent to join your company, you are hoping to capture the talent to enhance your business. Just like in war, you capture lands to demonstrate your prowess or skills in army, sea or air force strength and might. Head hunters swear that they can get you the talent you want based on your needs and requirements and so one of their favourite questions to employers is : is there anyone out there that you would recruit to join your company? Technically, there would be someone from your competitor who could fit the bill and do what you want. However, the question is, does this person have the EQ and potential cultural fit to your organisation. How does one figure this very important aspect of the recruitment puzzle?
It is critical to understand that it is not only the technical knowledge and skills that is required to be successful in a role. There are many other factors and one of the key one is regularly referred to as EQ or emotional intelligence. What does this actually mean? How do we assess this? Can this be measured through a test or exercise? Can this be assessed at an interview? It can be done, assessed and tested through a test or exercise prior to an interview and at the interview certain pertinent questions can be posed to assess the EQ of a candidate. However, prior to the testing and assessment, as an organisation, we need to be clear as to what are the EQ elements that are important for us. Once these are identified, tests and assessment tools can be designed. And interview questions can be crafted to explore and identify the EQ elements if what the candidate possess is a good fit for the organisation.
Talent management is a major topic for all organisations and it starts with the capturing of the right talent. Once you have got the right talent into your company, then the journey begins in managing and developing them. We first need to invest in capturing the talent and then move on to managing and developing them.
