TalentRISE was invited to facilitate a panel discussion on Veteran Recruitment Best Practices at this annual conference for professionals within the Records and Information Management Industry.  

Panelists Emily Garrity of TalentRISE and ConnectVETS.org, Laura Mitchell of Jackson Lewis, Brian Moriki of First Hawaiian Bank and Donna Hauk of Iron Mountain shared their experiences and tips. Most of the discussion focused on the compliance aspect of veteran recruitment and on the success profiles that work best in this industry.  Unlike the typical HR and Recruiting industry events where we present, this conference content was focused on information relevant to business owners of records and information management companies.

The most innovative practice I gleaned was the use of an innovative new speaker presentation format called “ignite.”  The session was structured around five speakers each sharing “high impact” content via 20 slides in 5 minutes, followed by Q&A. The goal is to engage the audience and provide them with actionable takeaways from each mini presentation. When I was asked to fill in for a last minute speaker cancellation, I had to prove that I was up to the challenge!  After delivering my 5-minute (20 slide!) presentation on “Tips for Hiring Top Performing Sales Talent,” I was amazed at how engaged the audience was! The format of this session forces participants to pay close attention and to take notes on the tips shared. There simply is no time for multitasking to check email, tweet or text a co-worker, family member or job candidate. My presentation focused on the following three tips for success:

1)      Know your talent and business competitors and target them

2)      Have realistic expectations of the profile of the person you can attract and afford

3)      Have a compelling EVP (Employment Value Proposition)

As it turned out, the feedback was incredibly positive and the session was a favorite among the attendees. In the future, however, I would suggest that the session is repositioned as “Speaker Olympics” as this was, bar none, one of the more challenging presentations I have ever had to deliver. But the format was definitely innovative and fun!

Carl Kutsmode

About the Author

Carl Kutsmode has over 20 years expertise in talent acquisition transformation — assessing and optimizing corporate recruiting capabilities for greater efficiency and performance.

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