KSAs... Knowledge, Skills and Abilities... a list of special qualifications and personal attributes that you need to have for a particular job.
Working with Professional Recruiters can do more than save time. It provides both the employer and potential candidates, immediate insight they might not have, if they were to follow the typical process of application, resume review, screening and interview steps.
My expertise is from being engaged as an external, contingency search, recruiting partner. I get paid by the employer to present qualified and engaged candidates for a specific role. I develop relationships with employers and spend a great deal of time to understand their business, industry, challenges, and goals that will be impacted by a specific hire and overall talent acquisition goals. This discovery process goes beyond understanding the specific skills and contributions they expect within the open role. I learn the history of the organization, their goals for growth, plans for succession and as much as I can about the leadership and culture of their organization.
For a good hire, it is critical to match the culture of an organization with a candidate’s expectations and personal core values.
From a candidate’s perspective, a Professional Recruiter will want to know your story. In short, where does the career journey begin (education and experience), how does it flow (decision-making and development) and where are you headed (goals and expectations). For match and alignment, understanding a candidate’s industry experience and size of the organizations an individual has worked, is frequently part of the conversation for compatibility. Of course, we need to discuss and understand any gaps in employment, and when we are diving into details about specific jobs, responsibilities and skills, the recruiter wants to see continuity, promotion and progression, that (in a perfect world) aligns with the open opportunity as a next step towards career development, or career sustainability.
One of the immediate benefits of working with a recruiter is the transparency you can have about Total Rewards (salary, variable compensation, benefits, flexibility, work schedule expectations, professional development and career growth opportunities, organizational culture, inclusivity and whether the position is looking for a worker-bee or leader contributor). You can save a lot of time discussing this right up front with an external recruiter, who will also appreciate the ‘cut to the chase’ conversation about your expectations in a search, or considerations for making a change. Building a relationship with a recruiter goes beyond the open job you’re discussing. A Professional Recruiter can keep you in mind for future opportunities for years to come – you can become part of their network. And if you are in a position of hiring, this relationship can have long-term benefits as you grow in your career and scope of responsibilities.
From an employer’s perspective, an experienced recruiter focuses on more than matching knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). A savvy recruiter will learn as much as possible about HOW the job will be performed (observable behavior, work standards and priorities), WHY the job exists (key accountabilities for top performance), and WHAT success will look like (expectations for the position and beyond). These insightful conversations provide a blueprint for the match of job to talent.
I use Job Benchmarking and assessments (DISC, Driving Forces and Skill Competencies) as a powerful tool to identify and create a job profile using data from Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). Based on analysis and input from all SMEs, we create a benchmark for a specific job. A talent assessment on the same scale as the job, identifies characteristics and alignment an individual will bring to the job.
Benchmarking a job minimizes bias and provides a clear objective and collective voice to what behaviors, motivators and skills the job needs.
Alignment to the job benchmark for the candidate provides tangible and comprehensive insight that can positively impact onboarding and assimilation into a new organization.
Learn more about job benchmarking:
Contact me today for more information.