How do you partner with vendors to manage talent?

One standout aspect that resonated with me is the emphasis on establishing clear expectations and metrics for success in vendor partnerships. It's vital for both parties to align on key performance indicators (KPIs) and goals from the outset, ensuring a shared vision and accountability for results.

Look for vendors that specialize in talent management services. Consider factors such as their expertise, experience, reputation, and client feedback. Consult industry peers, evaluate vendor websites, and review independent research reports to gather a list of potential vendors.

A vendor should demonstrate the flexibility to tailor their services to your unique needs. Look for a track record of customizing solutions and an understanding of your industry's nuances.

Choosing the right vendor and retaining them as a sustainable client becomes a crucial part of talent acquisition as every client has their different company policies, values, requirements, and expectations. To maintain a professional balance, regular communication and feedback is vital.

Choosing the right partner is the key to success !! You will have Vendors, who will be have their own strength and weakness. Profiling them and allocation the work according to their strengths is the right strategy. Profiling them simply should not include their delivery, but we should at least have some understanding of their business practices, their employees, statutory compliances, documentations, ethical practices etc. When our vendors are happy they will be encouraged to put the best foot forward and contribute to our success.

Over two decades of being in the talent acquisition space, one thing that I always tried making an effort is to be able to visit the site where employees are likely to be hired. Besides organisations partnering with vendors with setting clear expectations VERBALLY, there are many aspects that are not being told to the vendor. Not that they do not want to, but these informations are almost obvious for them & they tend to ignore to be shared to the vendor. Sometimes they are critical for the prospective employee to make a firm decision. As long as possible, Organisations must encourage & engage with those vendors who are interested to learn & be aware of the physical work environment of the companies.

Effective communication should also encompass contingency and issue resolution plans. It's wise to outline how potential disruptions, unexpected challenges, or conflicts will be addressed.

It is important to maintain transparency about the expectations regarding the quality of service expected from the vendor, proactively discussing the responsibility assignment matrix/ RACI, communication channels or point(s) of contact and escalation matrix. This helps avoid unnecessary delays and conflicts while eliminating any bottlenecks due to lag or miscommunication.

It's crucial to clearly define your needs before starting discussions. I also highly recommend aligning the external trainer with stakeholders to ensure everyone shares the same objectives.

Once I choose the vendor I will organize a meeting with the stakeholders to first ensure they have good synergies together. Once the relation is established we can all agree on the details, roles, and implementation.

I would ensure very close monitoring especially if it’s a first time so that we can rectify and guide them with constructive feedback. After all implementation is 90% of the job.

Monitor and evaluate the vendor's performance regularly. Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure their effectiveness and hold periodic reviews to address any issues or concerns that may arise.

Hold regular performance review meetings with the vendor to maintain transparency and open communication. These meetings should be structured to analyze progress, discuss quality, and explore opportunities for enhancement.

Analyzing metrics and KPIs is critical thorough the vendor/client relationship. Are your vendors performing as agreed upon? Are vendors producing the results that you inquired? What do the vendors need to change or improve on? These are things to ask when monitoring performance!

As a service provider, I believe that aligning expectations is of utmost importance. There's nothing better than clear communication between the parties involved. When I make hires, I aim to understand the company's profile and get to know its reputation. Customer recommendations also hold value for me. Delivering the project on time is essential to me, so I also assess this aspect. These factors carry significant weight in my decision-making process.

Evaluate each vendor's capabilities and offerings. Consider factors such as the range of services they provide, their technology platforms, their methodologies, and tools they use for talent management. Assess if their offerings align with your organization's needs and goals.

The primary focus should be to ensure that the interventions are in complete alignment with what the organization needs. How to do this : 1.Identify critical roles - Hard to fill,Difficult to train and can't be kept vacant are a few indicators. 2.Take a talent stock : Use a tool like 9 Box to see the spread of your talent.Needs to be Competency based exercise. 3.Plug the gaps : Look to invest in your own people to mobilize them upwards by upskilling and reskilling them. Refine your strategy and repeat.

Have you received the Return on Investment (ROI) by using this vendor? What results came into fruition by using the vendor to help you with your goals? Also, if they are a short-term vendor or an ad-hoc vendor, would you consider working with them in the future? These questions should be asked when evaluating impact!

I would ask my stakeholders for an immediate reflection after the training. My second step I would ask stakeholders to come up with action plans on how they will implement what they learned. Nothing better than an actions..

Just like every employee, every project also should undergo a term- end review. Evaluating the impact of the selected vendor and their product/ service(s) is critical to analyze the return on investment in the project, and how much value addition was made by choosing to go with a vendor in the first place and the selected vendor as a next step.

Vendor relationships can be incredibly powerful and beneficial, but make sure to research and review vendor testimonials from previous clients and ensure that the vendor has credibility in the industry or industries that they serve. At the end of the day, utilizing a vendor is an investment; make sure that you are getting a great ROI from them!

You can’t successfully partner with vendors if you don’t have a clear strategy for how you’ll leveraging internal vs. external resources. It’s easy to get sucked into the trap of reacting to vendor selection after a need arises, but you’ll be much better positioned to manage the relationship when you’ve pre-determined when you’ll outsource. Take time to scope out the kind of work you want to manage internally as well as the role your internal resources will play with a vendor. This allows you to set expectations and build your internal operations and team skills to maximize the external partnership. That way, when a need arises, you can better identify and vet the partners that will seamlessly fit with your operations.

Vendor relationships can be a powerful solution for specially for firms that don´t have an internal recuiter focused on hard positions. When it comes to small business or early stage startups, is common not having a clear strategy and also a solid culture definition. So, as a vendor is important to not only understand about the position role but also understand and talking with the team to get to know about their culture and to create real expectations for the candidate.

Conduct thorough due diligence on each shortlisted vendor. Request information about their track record, client references, case studies, and success stories. Ask for proof of performance and outcomes they have achieved for other organizations. Ensure they have a solid understanding of your industry and its specific talent challenges.

Here are some examples to improve your experience; - Choose the right vendors. - Communicate your expectations. - Monitor their performance. - Evaluate their impact.