Blog

In-Box Dash: AI-Powered Simulation for Selecting, Training and Developing Recruiting Professionals

By Linda Brenner | September 26, 2024

A one-of-a-kind, AI-powered simulated exercise to help HR and TA leaders select, assess and develop their team.

Interviewing Isn’t Enough: The Best Way to Hire Recruiters Now

By Linda Brenner | September 24, 2024

Struggling to hire recruiters who excel beyond the interview? Limited on time and money to develop your existing TA team? Old school style interviews and classroom training doesn't cut it when it comes to assessing and developing critical TA skills like prioritization, judgment, and influencing others. Discover In-Box Dash, an AI-powered solution that simulates real-world recruiting challenges, and provides your team with objective feedback and practical development plans. In turn, you get data-based facts about your team's strengths and opportunities along with targeted recommendations for improvement. A fast, accurate and cost-effective way to elevate your talent acquisition game, brought to you by your friends at TGA.

An HR Budget Plan That Showcases HR as an Investment, Not a Cost

By Tom McGuire | July 31, 2024

It's hard to look like an investment when you act like a cost. Budget season is on the horizon and a lot of HR leaders are already hunkering down to deal with the same old loop of requests and denials. After all, “costs” typically get cut in version one of your budget draft, but you can change this dynamic up by putting yourself in the place of an investor. Here's how to begin . . .

Our June ‘24 Newsletter: Chock Full of Talent News

By Linda Brenner | July 02, 2024

In case you missed it, here's our June '24 newsletter . . . talent insights that have a long shelf life.

DIY: 3 Steps to Doing Your Own Talent Acquisition Audit

By Linda Brenner | June 12, 2024

Why is now the best time to evaluate and improve hiring in your organization? Because waiting for the perfect moment is futile. The talent marketplace evolves unpredictably, with some skills becoming increasingly scarce (AI, data analytics) while others are more abundant than ever (cashiers, call center rep, sales agents). Hiring leaders demand swift, high-quality hiring, and senior leaders are reluctant to fund more recruiters. Continuing to rely largely (or solely) on job postings is ineffective in today's changing landscape. Read on to discover strategies to take charge, assess your talent acquisition function, and prioritize improvements to make hiring faster and better.

Simplifying Workforce Planning for Summer 2024: Practical Tips for HR Leaders

By Linda Brenner | April 01, 2024

In today's data-rich landscape, workforce planning is essential for HR leaders to identify talent-related priorities and investments. While tools like Visier and Tableau provide instant and slick access to data, the challenge lies in ensuring its accuracy, deciphering its true meaning and turning it into actionable plans. By focusing on key metrics such as attrition rates and tenure distributions, HR leaders can create directionally-accurate workforce plans that can evolve over time to enable their organizations navigate the most complex talent marketplace we've ever known. This article details a roadmap that will help HR leaders build a simple workforce plan that will allow them to address the most important people-related trends in their organization, now and in the future.

Our March ‘24 Newsletter: Chock Full of Talent News

By Linda Brenner | March 25, 2024

In case you missed it, here's our March '24 newsletter . . . talent insights that have a long shelf life.

4 Great Questions to Ask HR Leader Candidates, and the Answers to Look For

By Linda Brenner | March 01, 2024

HR, Talent and TA professionals are generally very good at being interviewed. But that ability doesn’t correlate with true talent management, recruiting or leadership skills. *Your* skills as an interviewer are key to getting beyond showmanship and personality in order to assess true business acumen, talent knowledge and the ability to make data-based decisions. Here are some tough but fair questions to ask your finalists and, more importantly, the right answers to look for.

Hot Tip: That ChatBot on Your Apply Process Isn’t AI

By Linda Brenner | January 26, 2024

In almost every case, your ChatBot is actually repelling - rather than attracting - talent. Prove me wrong.

Our January ‘24 Newsletter: Chock Full of Talent News

By Linda Brenner | January 16, 2024

In case you missed it, here's our January '24 newsletter . . . talent insights that have a long shelf life.

Let’s Modernize Talent Acquisition Before Jumping on the AI Train

By Linda Brenner | January 15, 2024

HR and Talent Acquisition teams often lack the necessary foundation to make AI truly effective because of undefined processes, ambiguous roles and unclear goals. So before delving into AI-driven solutions, TA needs to build its foundation: clear strategies, well-defined and differentiated processes, supporting org design and data-based measures of success. Only then it can be determined where AI can add the most value.

The Most Important Recruitment Metric: Quality of Hire

By Linda Brenner | January 09, 2024

At the end of the day, Talent Acquisition is only as good as the people they hire.

Our Dec ‘23 Newsletter: Chock Full of Talent News

By Linda Brenner | December 20, 2023

In case you missed it, here's our December 2023 newsletter . . . talent insights that have a long shelf life.

Hiring Manager Satisfaction Surveys: The Worst Thing to (Still) Happen to Talent Acquisition

By Linda Brenner | November 20, 2023

Hiring managers rating recruiters on how well they filled their job does nothing but reinforce arcane and counter-productive behaviors. Rather than asking: "Do you like us? Were we responsive and pleasant? Did you like our candidates?", Talent Acquisition teams should be measured on hiring speed and quality. Note: by "quality" we mean how well did new hires stay in the role and how well did they perform. Because, like it or not, if TA isn't hiring people who stay and perform, something is amiss. Hiring managers, in turn, will *really* like recruiters if they hire top talent who stay longer than their predecessors. But, if you just can't let these surveys go, read on for tips for best positioning these surveys.

Where the Talent Went and What To Do About It

By Linda Brenner | November 07, 2023

Despite the waning of the COVID-19 pandemic, hiring and retention remain a significant challenge for businesses. Factors contributing to this shortage include demographic shifts, declining birthrates, and lower labor force participation rates. Here are four strategies to address this issue. And do it now, because it's not going to get easier anytime soon.

Our November ‘23 Newsletter: Chock Full of Talent News

By Linda Brenner | November 05, 2023

In case you missed it, here's our November 2023 newsletter . . . talent insights that have a long shelf life.

9 Reasons Why Changing Your HR Org Structure Won’t Fix Your HR Issues

By Linda Brenner | August 22, 2023

Changing the organizational design within HR may seem like a logical step to address issues and pursue a transformative HR strategy, but moving boxes on a chart rarely improves measurable outcomes. This article outlines why simply altering the HR org design won't fix underlying issues or transform anything, much less your HR strategy.

HR Strategy = Talent Strategy: It’s All About Build, Borrow or Buy

By Linda Brenner | July 15, 2023

The creation of value in companies is primarily linked to intellectual capital driving cash flow, constituting over 80% of average market value. Companies like Apple, Visa, and Microsoft derive nearly all their value from intellectual assets rather than tangible ones. This intellectual capital originates from people, making talent the most critical of assets. However, many companies, lack a talent strategy that aligns with this economic reality, often hold outdated views on the availability of skilled talent despite acknowledging its importance. At its core, talent strategies for organizations across most industries need to outline a build, buy, borrow strategy in order to ensure the growth of enterprise value in the future, which is entirely dependent on talent.

The Data Dilemma: Navigating Challenges to Becoming a Data-Driven HR Function

By Linda Brenner | June 19, 2023

In today's fast-paced business environment, HR teams are increasingly turning to data and analytics to drive informed decision-making. The concept of data-driven HR has gained significant traction, with organizations leveraging data to optimize talent acquisition and talent management, and connect HR efforts and outcomes to business results. However, despite the potential benefits, many HR teams face significant challenges when it comes to obtaining and effectively analyzing data. This column explores the underlying challenges, why data acquisition is difficult, the conflict between being "customer-focused" and data-driven, and the struggle to utilize data for outcomes that align with critical business operations.

Re-Engineering Recruiting: Tips for Assessing and Improving your Talent Acquisition Function

By Linda Brenner | February 06, 2023

Now might be the optimal time to re-engineer your recruiting processes. Start by objectively determining which metrics are most important to your business, how to evaluate them and the best approach for improving these outcomes.

2023 Talent Analytics Playbook for CHROs

By Tom McGuire | October 11, 2022

The explosion of HR tools, technology and trends makes zeroing in on essential analytics more difficult than ever. How should Talent Analytics define HR priorities? What are the greatest obstacles to achieving effectiveness? What does a Talent Analytics "homerun" look like? In 2023, talent analytics should not just support, but fundamentally drive, your organization's business strategy.

4 Great Questions to Ask Prospective Talent Acquisition Leaders – and the Answers to Look For

By Linda Brenner | July 12, 2022

Let’s face it: recruiting professionals are generally very good at being interviewed. But that fact doesn’t correlate with excellent recruiting or leadership skills. A TA leader position can be among the most important roles in an organization. Here are some tough but fair questions to ask your finalists and, more importantly, the right answers to look for.

5 Ways to Turn Your Desire to Hire Diverse Talent into Actual Diversity Hiring

By Linda Brenner | June 16, 2022

The demand for greater representation within companies requires HR to successfully find, attract and win high-performing diverse talent. Here are five tips for doing it right.

The Most Effective Recruitment Process in the Toughest Talent Marketplace

By Linda Brenner | April 28, 2022

It’s a trick: the most effective recruitment process isn’t one - it's multiple processes, differentiated and highly engineered. Because in the most challenging talent marketplace that most of us have ever worked in, we can't wing it anymore - nor can we build our processes based on what we've always done, or what hiring managers demand.

Where Have All The Workers Gone: 5 Factors

By Linda Brenner | March 22, 2022

This is the question our consulting firm now hears more often than any other. And there is no simple answer. To understand the worker shortage, take a quick trip around the external market factors, that issues that exist within most companies, the dramatically different choices that talent (and particularly, high-performing diverse talent) are now making - and 5 places they've gone.

4 Ways to Determine if You Need to Improve Your Job Postings ASAP

By Linda Brenner | February 07, 2022

This insane labor market requires employers to put their best foot forward in order to win top talent. But often, when the candidate sees a job posting, it's so bad that it literally repels the most qualified among them. Here are four ways to quickly audit your own postings.

Five Reasons Why Candidates Aren’t Applying to Your Jobs

By Linda Brenner | October 17, 2021

There are many reasons why candidates aren't applying to jobs the way they did before the pandemic. A recent survey identified five key reasons for this (hint: 'being lazy and on unemployment' didn't make the list.)

Building a New Partnership Between CHROs and CEOs

By Tom McGuire | August 09, 2021

It's time for CHROs to build a better, more collaborative and business-based relationship with their CEOs. Read more about it in our latest book, "Building Business Value Through Talent: The CEO and CHRO Partnership Guide" available on Amazon: bit.ly/TGAbook

Are you in a War *ON* Talent or a War *FOR* Talent?

By Linda Brenner | July 22, 2021

Here are eight clues for determining where your organization falls.

Technology is Not the Answer to Your Hiring Problems

By Linda Brenner | May 05, 2021

The rapid growth of talent acquisition technologies, and all the problems they portend to solve, makes investment in them tempting - particularly during these unpredictable times. But TA tech is not going to solve most hiring problems.

How to Improve Recruiting: Begin with a SWOT Analysis

By Tom McGuire | March 29, 2021

Need to figure out how to improve hiring speed, quality and diversity? Begin with one of the most tried-and-true methods to assessing strengths and weaknesses: a SWOT framework for recruiting. Learn how this method can help you get started the right way.

8 Keys to Ensuring Your Newly Hired Black Executive Fails: A Case Study

By Linda Brenner | January 25, 2021

Proper recruiting, selection, onboarding and performance management routines are critical for the success of any new executive, but particularly for companies seeking to expand diversity among their leadership ranks. The old routines that may have worked reasonably well with primarily White leaders need to be examined and adapted to successfully and consistently win high performing Black talent.

The Power of a Diversity & Inclusion Audit: Three Keys to Success

By Linda Brenner | September 24, 2020

Now that the #BLM marketing rage has died down, it's high time we applied proactive audit discipline and strategy design to diversity and inclusion efforts.

3 Keys to an Effective Recruitment Department Structure

By Linda Brenner | October 07, 2019

Org design can be a powerful tool for addressing efficiency and effectiveness problems, but it can’t work in isolation. Here are three keys to making your org design deliver improved speed and quality of hiring.

Strategic Workforce Planning: Seven Steps To Driving Your Best Talent Acquisition Strategy

By Linda Brenner | August 11, 2019

There is hardly a more nebulous, misunderstood (and possibly hated) word in Human Resources than “strategic workforce planning”, but it is a critical key to successfully improving hiring and retention results. This article describes why it is important, how to do it, and what results you should see.

RPO Lessons Learned: Spotting RPO Dysfunction

By Tom McGuire | July 17, 2019

So your organization is using an RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) firm and you suspect things aren't going as planned? Or perhaps you are considering an RPO? Read on to learn about these common pitfalls. And check out other articles in our series to find solutions.

Talent Acquisition Model:  How to Organize Recruitment Around Talent

By Tom McGuire | March 18, 2019

What’s the best way for recruiting teams to think about tackling hiring requisitions? First in, first out – like milk? Nah, I don’t think so; but surprisingly, many succumb to this approach in the face of hiring manager pressure and the absence of business-based prioritization.

How Do You Measure Quality of Hire in a Full Employment Economy?

By Tom McGuire | November 28, 2018

In this full employment economy, finding and winning top talent for critical roles is a key business success factor. But if you’re still thinking about quality of hire in the old way (hiring manager surveys to assess ‘happiness’ with the recruiting team or managers' assessment of a new hire 30 days in), then you’re missing the chance to prove the value of Talent Acquisition in 2019 and beyond. 

The “Human Capitalist”

By Tom McGuire | September 20, 2018

Who They Are, Why Your Business Depends on Them, and How to Win Them

A High Volume Hiring Case Study: Improving Hiring Speed, Quality and Cost

By Linda Brenner | September 12, 2018

The Challenge: Improve the quality of hiring high volume, customer service-oriented front line employees. In turn, increase speed to hire and reduce overall hiring costs.

360 for HR: 5 Reasons Assessment-Based Programs Are the Best Training and Development

By Linda Brenner | February 04, 2018

Traditional training isn't the way to rapidly improve HR effectiveness, development and credibility. Simulation-based assessment and 360° feedback is a fast, better way to improving recruiters' and HR business partners' skills.

Talent Acquisition Audit:  Six Signs That You Need One

By Linda Brenner | January 15, 2018

Six circumstances where it makes sense to bring in outside, unbiased resources to conduct a talent acquisition audit.

Recruitment Tips for New Talent Acquisition Leaders

By Linda Brenner | November 08, 2013

Check out this list of tips for new talent acquisition leaders - especially if you're coming from an HR Generalist role - to shorten your learning curve and drive meaningful results faster.

Our Bloggers

Linda Brenner

Linda is an industry vet with keen observations and a knack for calling it like it is.

Meet Linda

Tom McGuire

Tom brings the unlikely blend of Finance & HR to the practice, illuminating readers with the link between talent and business value.

Meet Tom