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HRIS in the US: Navigating Shallow Talent Pools and Intense Competition

Pool Of Talent

Article posted by Ian McIntyre

​In the current climate, finding the right HRIS talent has become more complex than ever. Contractors specializing in Workday and SuccessFactors are typically a hot commodity due to the small pool of talent available and the intense competition to hire their expertise.

Already, the competition is startling. The contractor talent pool is illiquid with professionals typically only moving upon completion of a contract: Just over 12% of the talent pool moved companies in the last 12 months. There is also double the number of jobs posted versus active professionals seeking work.

Forming a hiring strategy to land on-shore subject matter experts can be difficult, but I have a few tips that can help inform your search for talent.

Map the market

Pre-search, utilizing data sets that can uncover hot spots for talent is a game changer. This informs where you can find a larger pool of candidates in areas with lower hiring demand.

For example, our proprietary software finds three hidden gem locations for HRIS talent in the US, where the supply of professionals is high relative to hiring demand:

  • Los Angeles Metropolitan Area

  • Greater Boston

  • Greater Philadelphia

Pipeline Talent

As mentioned, reliable contractors rarely leave a contract in pursuit of another offer. Staying close to the market and understanding when specialists are coming to the end of a contract is vital information. Once you have gathered an understanding of when top professionals are available, ensure your processes are set up and ready months before their contract end date. Remain as flexible as possible; it will take a team effort between Human Resources and the Hiring Manager, but it dramatically increases your chances of landing talent.

Project Scope and Employer Value Propositions

Although you can map the market and pipeline talent, having a contractor accept your offer over another competitor is still a hurdle to overcome. Competing on rates will only go so far, and contractors will be looking at the project they will be working on and the type of employer they will be working with before making a decision.

Communication is critical here. Your employer value propositions must be visible upon every touch-point with a candidate. From job descriptions to outreach, all the way through to final interview stages. It’s as much about selling the opportunity over searching for a specialist.

​Finally, if you’d like advice on hiring HRIS professionals specializing in Workday or SuccessFactors, please call me. I’d be happy to share my thoughts.

Ian McIntyre

561-578-4262

ian.mcintyre@unitingenterprise.com