Ken Schmitt: Building Your Talent Bench. How To Develop Strategies For Planning, Building Pipeline And Developing Relationships With A-Players!

It is important to have a proactive talent strategy when planning and building your pipeline for your hiring process. Know when and how to tap into the pipeline. Developing a solid foundation, always recruiting by using your referral resources, and utilizing the tools and changes that companies can make promotes successful hiring searches.

Show Guest: 

Ken Schmitt grew up in an entrepreneurial household with a father who was a Jack in the Box franchisee for 25 years, and a mother who left the accounting world to become a real estate agent.  After spending 9 years working for a local boutique firm and one of the world's largest Executive Search firms, Heidrick & Struggles, he launched TurningPoint Executive Search in 2007. The past two Years, TurningPoint has been ranked one of the Top 150 Fastest Growing Private Companies in San Diego (SDBJ).

Ken is also the Founder and CEO of the Sales & Marketing Leadership Alliance (SMLA), and the annual Sales & Marketing Leader of the Year Awards (SMLYs). Ken is a thought leader in executive search and takes a high touch, concierge-style approach to placing first class talent. Which makes him the perfect guest for today’s topic! He is the Author of LinkedIn Hiring Secrets for Sales and Marketing Leaders.  (Amazon.com)

Episode highlights:

• The importance of a proactive talent strategy
• Building your pipeline
• When & How to tap into the pipeline

The Why… Process is Reactive

• Starting at Ground zero (Avoid reinventing the wheel with each new search)
• Pre plan questions
• Organize- time, pace, resume/profile

Foundation -  Developing The Plan

• Proactive mindset
• Always be recruiting (ABC….)
• Consistent message, not being transactional
• Look at recruiting as a revenue generating or sales process.

Building the pipeline. Always be Recruiting

• Employee referrals
• Industry leaders
• Top performers

Tools & Tweaks that companies can make to succeed

• Simple spreadsheet on excel
• Poor job of mining their own data.
• Someone owning the process.
• Employee referral program- on going notification

 

Check out the Blog on the Stride Search, Inc site for the supplementary “show recap” article with detailed takeaways/insights from the interview.