Talent Management Area 1: Talent Acquisition
That Human Resources group I worked with is not the only one searching for
Project Talent. The competition is fierce for dearly needed talent. And the Talent
targets move. In the 1990s experienced Internet developers were among the most
sought-after talent. Today an emerging talent target is Competent Project Managers.
And yet, projects need more than talented project managers; the entire team is
only as strong as its weakest link.
To find project talent, you must know what you are looking for. This is not
easy, because while resume keywords and searchable online databases can help with
screening, finding project talent comes down to two key steps:
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- Analyze and communicate what you are looking for, including the roles these
persons must fill, and the qualifications (knowledge, skills, attitudes and competences)
needed to fill those roles.
- Observe and recognize those needed talents in the candidates you inter-view.
Note that most hiring managers rely on interpersonal interaction to verify their
judgment that the candidate demonstrates the needed talent.
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Talent Acquisition for projects goes beyond filling project manager positions;
as mentioned above, each project is only as successful as the Role-Competences
of your weakest links. Every stakeholder in a project, from Sponsor to Resource
Manager, from internal Customer to Team Member, must demonstrate his or her needed
Role-Competences. Those who are best at Talent Acquisition use a proper Competence
Model, that lists all the right criteria and appropriate performance levels for
each of your roles.
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Talent
from Then to Now 
