How Procurement Can Refresh Talent Acquisition Strategies

A company’s talent acquisition strategy is, quite simply, how it identifies and acquires a workforce that meets its needs.

In procurement, as in other key business functions, this involves having the right people on board to take the function to the next level. Most organizations are still getting to grips with the full potential of a procurement department, so it’s vital to have talent on board that can not only create cost savings and add value but also ensure that value is recognized throughout the whole organization and engage stakeholders at every level.

Companies across every industry are finally beginning to realize that having the right talent to grow with the business is the most crucial ingredient for success. In procurement, this means a mix of solid qualifications, technical know-how, soft skills or meta-skills, and a can-do attitude.

Putting together an effective strategy to find this talent, though, can be a complicated task. In the past, most hiring managers simply went through a candidate’s hard skills and narrowed their search by years of experience. We now all need to place far more emphasis on how people adapt to a changing environment and how they fit with, and add to, that all-important company culture.

Here are three ways procurement departments can refresh their talent acquisition strategies ready for 2021:  

Get the job description right

I’ve written before about the abysmal quality of most job descriptions. And yet the decision that high quality candidates make to apply to your opening, or not, often hinges on what you include here. Suppose you simply reel off a long list of required skills. In that case, not only will many candidates will be put off right away because the content is not at all engaging, but you also risk damaging your diverse recruiting efforts—research shows that women will often only apply to roles if they possess most of the skills listed; men are more likely to apply even if they just match one or two.

The job description is the first thing a candidate will see when they apply, or are approached by a recruiter. It shouldn’t just be a list of the tasks they will have to do—it should outline the opportunities available for them to make a difference and how they will be supported in the role.

Focus on your employer branding

The way you are perceived as an employer, particularly online, is more critical than ever. And, nowadays, everybody does their research. Company culture and values are an increasing factor in a candidate’s decision to accept—and even interview for—a role.

Make sure potential candidates have easy access to information on what you are like as an employer: What does the office look like, what perks and benefits do staff enjoy, what it’s like to work in the company, opportunities for progression, and the experiences of current employees.

Your branding efforts should also reflect what you and, by extension, your supply partners stand for. What values does the business hold in terms of ethics and social impact? What is the broader mission the candidate will be working toward, and why is it so important?

Adapt the hiring process

In the same way you shouldn’t try to fit a square peg in a round hole when it comes to placing a candidate in a job, you should also make sure you aren’t forcing a candidate through a hiring process that doesn’t suit them, or indeed the role.

Many companies have a rigid process regarding how they accept resumes or applications, how they interview candidates, and how many stages there are to the process. In reality, what you need to find out about a candidate in terms of skills and personality will differ greatly based on the role.

Empower hiring managers to get involved in what that process looks like. Do they want to read a pile of written forms, or would a video resume be more useful? How many times will they need to speak to the candidates? Perhaps there are different tasks candidates could complete to reflect the skills required for the role.

Discovering the right people for the role will ensure your procurement function is as strong as possible. Simply put, identifying and acquiring the workforce that you need will help your procurement department maximize its full potential. Use employer branding, job descriptions, and buy-in from hiring managers among your tools to help level up your talent acquisition strategy, and build the workforce that meets your organization’s needs.