Tim Sackett - Talent Fix: A Leaders Guide to Recruiting Great Talent

Copyright 2018 Tim Sackett. All rights reserved.

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information regarding the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that neither the publisher nor the author is engaged in rendering legal or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent, licensed professional should be sought. The federal and state laws discussed in this book are subject to frequent revision and interpretation by amendments or judicial revisions that may significantly affect employer or employee rights and obligations. Readers are encouraged to seek legal counsel regarding specific policies and practices in their organizations.

This book is published by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). The interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations in this book are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the publisher.

This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8600, fax 978-646-8600, or on the Web at www.copyright.com . Requests to the publisher for permission should be addressed to SHRM Book Permissions, 1800 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, or online at http://www.shrm.org/about-shrm/pages/copyrightpermissions.aspx . SHRM books and products are available on most online bookstores and through the SHRMStore at www.shrmstore.org .

The Society for Human Resource Management is the worlds largest HR professional society, representing 285,000 members in more than 165 countries. For nearly seven decades, the Society has been the leading provider of resources serving the needs of HR professionals and advancing the practice of human resource management. SHRM has more than 575 affiliated chapter within the United States and subsidiary offices in China, India, and United Arab Emirates. Please visit us at www.shrm.org .

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for and is on file with the Library of Congress.

ISBN 978-1-586-44522-5 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-586-44523-2 (pdf)

ISBN 978-1-586-44524-9 (epub)

ISBN 978-1-586-44525-6 (mobi)

Printed in the United States of America FIRST EDITION

PB Printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

61.14517 | 17-1678

Contents

Foreword

Thats how I led my second conversation ever with a guy named Tim Sackett. To understand why that was the lead comment, you have to understand the first conversation. So lets look back at the first time I ever talked to the man who has become the brand Tim Sackett.

The year was 2008. I was vice president of HR at a venture capital-backed software firm, doing what we all do as HR/recruiting leaders. The difference between me and you was that I was also blogging daily at a site called The HR Capitalist, and, because of the success of that site, I had launched a multi contributor blog called Fistful of Talent , because the day job just wasnt enough. And lets face it, I was bored.

Then, one day I got a note from young Tim Sackett, who at the time was director of recruiting at a hospital system, which I later learned is one of the most difficult jobs in talent acquisition. He was reading both sites and wanted to inquire about becoming a contributor at Fistful of Talent.

I emailed him back within five minutes, asked for his phone number, and called him five minutes later. He seemed taken aback by the responsiveness but would later learn that was the exception rather than the rule for me.

We agreed he would submit a couple of written blog posts to serve as writing samples. He sent me the following two posts, both of which he was equally proud:

Which one would you want to read? The first one was what you would expecta holistic solution to insomnia, full of legal stuff and platitudes toward Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) policy affecting engagement. The second one wondered if tribesmen on other continents ended up wearing pullovers from Applebees and carrying water from the local creek in a third-tier Yeti knockoff.

My feedback went something like this:

I posted the logo wear article to Fistful of Talent and the rest is, as they say, history. Tim kept writing smartass articles from the view of a talent acquisition leader in the field, launched his own blog called The Tim Sackett Project and here we are.

I think you should read it, soak it in, and let it wash all over you like the feeling you get when you knock back a shot of Jack Daniels/glass of Mountain Dew/cup of Joe (you decide which one).

It was only a matter of time. As someone who knows him best from a work perspective, heres what you need to know and why you should trust Tim Sackett with all things related to talent acquisition.

Its part of his professional identity. Tim likes to hug people so much he once posted an article to LinkedIn on the 10 Rules of Hugging in the Workplace, and the thing went viral, getting more than a quarter of a million reads. Tim was so excitedhe called me and was one step away from quitting his job like a lottery winner, confident he had figured out how to reach a mass audience.

His next post (non-hugging-related) on LinkedIn got 247 views. Fickle mistress, that LinkedIn news/update algorithm.

Tim even incorporates hugging into his speaking appearances. When you go to watch him speak, get ready for what I like to call the Tim Sackett package. He starts by announcing himself as the worlds leading authority on workplace hugging, shows a picture of him, and his dog Scout, who is licking Tims face, then invites an audience member up to show what a warm workplace hug looks like with a willing partner (which is never a guy).

Thats how Tim Sackett establishes likeability. He hasnt been sued for a hugyet.

When you really dig into Tims background and the strategies presented in this book, one thing is clear: Tim has done the work, at times in tougher environments than the one youre in right now. Hes had to look at recruiting problems in Shopko, Applebees, and healthcare and agency recruitingand hes gotten great results at every stop along the way. Hes done it as a solo recruiter and as a manager of recruiters.

The core of Tims approach is best categorized as smart recruiting, which is the intersection of strategy and getting shit done. Tim understands the strategic levers of talent acquisition departments of all sizes, but hes never forgotten what it feels like to pick up the phone and call a candidate. That overlap is the key to this book and why Im so confident you should read it. If youre trying to build a talent acquisition department that works of any size, Tims got great thoughts to share.

Smart talent acquisition is increasingly being driven by technology, which sucks for you and me. Not because technology is bad, but because in the United States, anyone with an idea, a business plan, $5,000 in cash, and a hoodie can start a technology company. More and more of those startups are focused on talent acquisition (TA), which means there are thousands of solutions to choose from, ranging from complete suites to best-inbreed solutions solving micro-recruiting pain you didnt know you had.