How to attract 'brilliant brains' into your organisation

RECRUITERS

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Many recruiters fail to realise that there is a huge war for talent going on in the marketplace. The best candidates are offered by several agencies at the same time, and consequently may be difficult to attract. So, if you’re hiring, how can you ensure that you snap up the best candidates before your competitors get their hands on them?

Ian Simpson, of PhD Jobs – a leading provider of postgraduates – has recently been taking a close look at candidate talent levels, and his findings are quite interesting. He has identified a group of top quality candidates whom he calls ‘brilliant brains’. These are highly intelligent, skilled individuals that add benefit to an organisation through their motivation, and also by pushing the boundaries of normal work methods.

For these über-candidates, traditional methods of recruitment may not be good enough. Because these candidates are well aware of their potential value to an employer, you, as the client (or rather, the recruitment agency working on your behalf) may need to sell the job to these people as much as they need to sell themselves to you. If you don’t make the job and prospects sufficiently compelling, they will take their talents elsewhere. That doesn’t necessarily mean you will need to offer a higher remuneration package than the norm for a particular vacancy, because ‘brilliant brains’ look at the overall picture, not just the bottom line. They want the opportunity to make an impact within and for the organisation while at the same time stretching themselves, in order to expand their knowledge and skills. Your challenge is how to direct their efforts towards the benefit of your organisation, while giving them the freedom to fly.

So before you even think about putting the job specification on the table, you might find it beneficial to clarify your objectives and strategy, by asking yourself a few key questions, such as:

Why would this job be a good career move for a ‘brilliant brain’ with multiple opportunities?
How can I build-in sufficient freedom to satisfy the successful candidate, while ensuring they actually do the job that will be paying their wages?
To retain them, where should I plan on moving them to next within the organisation, before their low boredom threshold kicks in, and they leave?

You could even consider being highly transparent early on in the recruitment process. Why not explain in detail to candidates, how you see the future unfolding and how their role in the organisation might change and develop as they themselves change and develop?

It might help to think of yourself as a talent scout – seeking out potential thought leaders, nurturing them, helping them to develop, and keeping them happy so that they don’t desert. ‘Brilliant brains’ aren’t foot soldiers – they’re future Field Marshals.

These recruitment tips come from www.phdjobs.com the website of PhD Jobs, a leading provider of postgraduates to organisations at the forefront of innovation. Further tips, on related topics, are available on the phdjobs.com website.

11/01/2008 18:50:00

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