Get your communication hiring right and add value

Attracting, retaining and developing the right communication talent is one foundation for delivering great performance for your organisation.

Organisations with effective communication outperform their peers financially, develop the agility to manage change well, and create engaging workplaces with higher retention and engagement.[1]

The benefits of having the right communication capability in-house include:

• Organisational and business knowledge
• Effective relationships
• Collaboration
• Change readiness
• Speed to perform & momentum
• Sustained delivery
• Effective resource management

While there will always be a role for the specialist services of agencies and advisors, a well defined communication function with the right resource(s) delivers these capabilities that create value.

It’s not always easy – for the employer or the candidate

However, employers and communicators face some common challenges that cost time, money, trust and quality.

Unplanned turnover of communication resources interrupts this value creation. The total cost of hire for a mid-range communicator is a significant investment as is the time for a new hire to perform.

Poor role design, lack of professional development, mismatch of tasks and ‘cultural fit’ are some of the key reasons communicators leave organisations.

From the employer perspective, issues can also arise when communication resources bring inadequate skills, mismatched expectations.

Many communication recruitment campaigns suffer from badly written job ads or job descriptions that fail to make the requirements clear. A study of role titles within the communication industry[2] shows that there is little consistency in approach or standard terminology applied.

The size of the Australian communication employment market also means there are many candidates who will take a best-fit role ‘for now’, leading to higher churn.

Managing communication talent for long term value

There are simple steps every organisation can take to manage communication talent effectively at key times:

Before you recruit

• Communication function requirements
• Structure
• Competencies
• Role design

Recruiting

• Selecting your agency
• Briefing your agency
• Advertisement wording
• Supporting strategies

Candidate selection

• Candidate screening
• Interview design
• Competency assessment – case study or testing

Ongoing talent management

• Career planning
• Professional development plans
• Performance management
• Skills development
• Coaching
• Succession planning

When to use talent management services for your communication function