I have been actively looking for a new role recently, having not done so for some years. As a result, I have come into contact with numerous HR and Talent Acquisition folks, both internal to hiring organisations, and working on behalf of them. I know we are all humans that bring our personalities to bear upon our work but it seems to me that companies could do themselves a service by looking at the first impressions those initial personalities can create for the prospective candidate, both good and bad.
The qualities and attitudes I have encountered have varied widely and, inevitably, I have taken these first encounters as some sort of reflection upon the companies they represent. Later encounters have not always borne this out. I am of the view, therefore, that I have encountered more individual personality than corporate identity, which seems to me to be a lost branding opportunity. Consciously and strategically dialing up or down aspects of a talent acquisition personality in the early interactions they have with a prospective candidate could help the key cultural elements of a corporation to shine through from that very first encounter. Many sales training programmes emphasise the need to sell features and, in the war for talent, I think it is worth making every attempt to demonstrate the cultural features of your organisation are ones the candidate would be keen to find out more about for the benefits they would offer.