Nathaniel is one of the Co-Founders of Trifecta Talent, a new Embedded and On-Demand Talent Consultancy.
Having started off his career as an agency recruiter, Nathaniel has added to his experience by working as an embedded partner as well as being the dedicated In-House recruiter for early-stage start-ups hiring their international GTM teams.
With his fellow Co-Founders, Neha Pandit and Ashley Osmond, they are on a mission to support scaling businesses through a trifecta of talent solutions that suit their needs and ambitions at that moment. Whether it’s an experienced in-house recruiter, strategy and advisory, or swift, on-demand hires.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaniel-benissan-6b515072/
Company LI Page: https://uk.linkedin.com/company/trifecta-talent
Website: www.trifecta-talent.com
What do you think is the key to being successful as a Talent leader in the current business environment?
There are so many to list, but I think three stand out in the current market. They are:
- Curiosity
- Data and Insights
- Experience for all
Curiosity: You need to be a seeker of ideas to improve the business and this cannot be done by just sitting on what you know or have done to date. Curiosity covers understanding the true strategic vision of the Executives, how the existing employees feel about where they work, how is demand changing in the market quarter by quarter or what new tools and methodologies are being applied in Talent Acquisition. Being curious allows Talent Leaders to be at their sharpest, make viable and realistic suggestions, drive continuous improvement, and bring new ideas to the business that will enhance their brand as an employer.
Data and Insights: A common point here and it links to being curious, but we have seen the market change so rapidly that being on top of this and comparing it with the current data we have is important. There are always market salary, flexible working or process length insights being shared, but understanding people, their drivers, and ambitions (As well as the typical metrics) is where the core insights sit. This can help to create an understanding of how, as Talent Leaders we can transform our approach to not only attract awesome, diverse talent but to retain and empower the existing employees.
Experience for all: In Talent Acquisition, we talk a lot about the candidate experience and how we can constantly improve this. However, a successful Talent Leader understands the experience for all and its importance for success. When I say the experience for all, this includes the experience of the Talent Partners, the Hiring Managers, the teams that new hires become a part of, the Executives, the existing employees, and external partners. The experience of these groups is equally as important as it impacts our talent processes and who we bring into the business.
As a Talent leader, what is your key advice for managing your teams and people?
Understanding how an individual absorbs information, how they put it into practice, how they like to work, and what their ambitions are are important. So often I have seen leaders expect every individual to follow one playbook and it doesn’t work like that, we’re all different and achieve our very best through different approaches.
Bringing the team together and making sure there is recognition and praise and that the wins are being celebrated is important. But more importantly, as a Talent Leader, creating an environment where the losses and the challenges can be discussed openly is very powerful. Individuals who make mistakes (we’re human, we all do) and feel comfortable articulating it to get feedback or help, will positively change the way they go about their duties.
How has the role of a recruiter changed and what new skills do you think they need to possess and develop?
Recruiters are exceptionally skillful in what they do and it’s because they have to master so many different aspects to ensure success. Recruiters have to be sales-oriented, relationship managers, marketers, analysts, project managers, and at times, HR.
But, as the market changes, recruiters continue to evolve and they also need to be able to:
- Create alternative ways of assessing candidates that streamline processes, provide inclusivity, allow for all parties to extract the information they need, and ensure the best experience.
- Understand all business functions and their pains. There are a handful of specialisms in talent acquisition, but as teams become leaner, recruiters will need to be able to show that they can expand their coverage if need be to support multiple business functions.
- Become true advisors and really prioritise the business, the culture, and the internal teams. This means moving away from just filling the headcount and understanding the why. Assessing if it truly aligns with the business objectives and if it’s viable. Looking at the existing employees and asking questions about development and promotions and if there is a strong sense of belonging and culture or if this needs to prioritised.
What do you think is the biggest challenge and biggest opportunity facing Talent and Recruitment?
Talent and Recruitment have been through challenges over the last 3 years and it’s great that we are seeing a shift to a more positive market. I think this is a great opportunity for organisations to reflect on their approach to market changes and what their approach will be if/when the market dips again.
This is also an opportunity for organisations to look at and understand how they can evolve their talent function so that in times of high-volume hiring, they have the right partners in place. Likewise, during slowdowns, they’re maintaining their nimble but mighty teams to prioritise internal projects such as employee experience to galvanize an awesome environment during uncertain times.
What is the next stage of transformation for Talent Acquisition and Recruitment?
Artificial intelligence, the words on everyone’s lips. We already know AI is a topic for governments across the world and it will impact the role of TA and recruitment. AI will help in making processes more efficient, more analytical, and more predictive, but I see the rise of the humanization of recruitment.
The battle for companies to show their recruitment process isn’t just focused on determinations by AI and tick boxes from interviews will rise. At the end of the day, we’re humans and want that interaction to reassure all parties that the best decision is being made and it’s the right environment for all. While AI has already started to and will transform the space, the need for high EQ talent teams and partners will become more important than ever for businesses that want to attract and retain the best talent.
How do you think external staffing solutions will partner and work with companies as we move forward?
External staffing solutions will play a huge part in how companies operate as the value of great external partners whether they are embedded or agency can be critical to a business’s success. The need for flexible partnerships with businesses that can support when the market changes or priorities shift is important.
An excellent partner will be able to embed a former In-House recruiter with tangible experience in a flexible way so that the companies can draw on higher levels of experience In-House experience that they may not have been able to acquire.
But also, they should be able to support ad-hoc needs whether it’s advising on talent strategy and implementation, or a singular immediate hire so that their clients are covered in attracting talent quickly, no matter the business or market situation.
As someone who has worked across agencies, embedded and In-House, I have seen the need for these partnerships, and one of the reasons I Co-Founded Trifecta Talent is to be able to support across the landscape of Talent Acquisition for scaling businesses.
TA.guru’s Talent Leader Series seeks to share the view of leaders in the Talent space.
By sharing the thoughts and insights of these leaders will hopefully help the Talent industry as a whole as it explores new opportunities and faces new challenges.
If you are interested in participating please contact sean@ta.guru for more information.
