The most impactful form of talent acquisition

Anne Carrigan, Talent Acquisition Director at JLL will be joining us at this year’s HRD Summit UK 2019.

Anne will be discussing the future of talent acquisition, as well as delving into the topic of the future of talent acquisition. In wake of the upcoming event, here’s an exclusive interview.

How do we remain competitive in this VUCA environment?

Our biggest challenge, along with many organisations, is how we can prepare ourselves for the changes ahead.  Whether those be immediate challenges that come with the potential implications of Brexit or keeping pace with new and existing customer and client requirements. In addition, we need to keep pace with technological changes, shifting market conditions and where our new emerging markets are. To remain competitive, we must stay closely connected to the external market, our customers and competition and not always look inwardly for answers. I think organisations with a clear vision, with agility to take advantages of opportunities that arise and those willing to take some risks will continue to stay competitive.

What do you think is the most impactful form of recruitment?

I think there is a difference between recruitment and talent acquisition and hence the most impactful form is when Talent acquisition is linked to the overall business strategy. Recruitment is often seen as the transactional hiring process, whilst talent acquisition should be considered as a strategic commitment to the business, promoting the organisation through strong brand stories and marketing with a focus on providing an exceptional candidate and employee experience to further strengthen our reputation.  Those organisations who invest in smart sourcing tactics and build talent acquisition strategies that focus on future workforce capability will see the greatest impact.

What do you think is the biggest global challenge you face?

From a Talent perspective, the biggest challenge has to be the shifting talent landscape and with that, the looming talent deficit organisations will face within the next 10 years. We have now reached a time where we will see retiring ‘baby boomers’ and a new generation (Gen Z) entering the workforce. In addition, we’re still recognising the challenges that come with Gen X & Y and their demands of different work and life experiences. We also recognise that retaining talent is one of the biggest talent management challenges for global firms, so creating a performance and reward strategy that is agile enough to meet the changing needs of key talent will be crucial.

What will be the main points you’ll make during your talk?

The transformation journey JLL is on and what that means from a Talent acquisition perspective. As we shift from a Global tradition real estate firm to one that is focussed on operating more in the digital space, there are a number of challenges and opportunities that brings. I joined JLL with a clear vision of transforming how the organisation promotes, attracts, engages and retains the right talent that will enable the organisation to continue to grow, but with that comes challenges, successes and the complexity of embedding a new way of operating across a global organisation.

What would you like to see happen in the future throughout talent acquisition?

Talent acquisition functions must deliver value to any organisation and they must be able to react to future changes and demands of the workforce with agility and expertise. New digital technologies will continue to present talent acquisition functions with challenges and therefore they must be able to and have the investment to, find innovative solutions to the problem of fulfilling talent needs and access to a new generation of talent that can drive business innovation and deliver change. Personally, I believe recognising and understanding the importance of building relationships with our existing & potential employees is critical. Digital transformation isn’t just disrupting the way our business operates but also the way in which professionals manage their careers and as Candidates will have more choice than ever before, Talent acquisition must now focus on how we engage and build longer-term relationships with them.

Emily Sexton-Brown