Shaping the Future of Talent Recruitment

Held over two separate sessions, Sid Lee invited talent leaders from across the collective, as well as external professionals, to come together to analyze and improve the kyu Collective’s approach to hiring and retention.

This was the first of hopefully many “kyu Futures” collaborations in the kyu Studios. With the first curation by Sid Lee, going forward different member companies will host convenings around a subject that they deem critical for the Collective.

In his opening remarks, Sid Lee CEO Bertrand Cesvet challenged the talent leads: “In today’s race of talent, how might we disrupt recruitment standards by better appealing to new generations of creative leaders?”

Each session of “The Future of Talent Recruitment” was moderated by Diane Brady, a journalist, author and media consultant, who led thought-provoking discussions. Ultimately, Sid Lee aimed to “establish the foundations for our collective success by working together on what matters most: our people.”

The first session explored five key themes: Talent Branding, Analytics & Data Science, Internships, Educations, and Schools, Global Recruitment and Referral Programs, and Open Source Talent-Sharing & Co-Working. Through knowledge-sharing and big-picture thinking, the group explored the most successful ways to attract and retain the next generation of creative talent and leaders.

After lively debate and discussion, as well as smaller working sessions throughout the day, talent leaders from each company worked to narrow down the focus areas to a few key ideas. The most popular topics were kyu’s Employer Brand, Schools & Internships, and Talent-Sharing Community. These topics then became the next area of focus for the second session.

kyu’s Employer Brand honed in on what makes kyu different, as well as how individual member company brands can be best positioned to both attract a variety of talent. During the Schools & Internships discussion, participants explored not only the evolving ways in which people learn, but also potential partnerships between member companies and educational institutions for the future.

The Talent-Sharing Community topic was found to be the most important of the three, focusing on how to stimulate companies to share their talent within the kyu Collective. There was a consistent discussion about employees moving throughout the member companies to progress their careers, instead of leaving for a new role elsewhere. Discussions also highlighted how to handle talent leaving the collective, and how to capitalize on shared employee strengths and interests.

After concluding their discussions on all three focus areas, the group turned their attention to feasible next steps. These included the utilization of analytics and data science to shape talent strategies and measure results, and the development of a kyu fellowship program to increase talent sharing across the collective.

“If we’re going to be successful, we have to be always learning,” remarked kyu CEO Michael Birkin. “We also have to have a generosity of approach and spirit.”

Looking back on their first curation, the Sid Lee team agreed that one of the most important topics to emerge was the kyu Collective’s talent brand. They saw that there is a true opportunity to build a brand that can serve as the foundation for member companies to collaborate and utilize each other’s strengths and resources. There is also a strong need to streamline talent-sharing for the Collective’s benefit.

As the first kyu Futures event, Sid Lee took the first step in unlocking the power of the Collective’s collaborations. The Sid Lee team who organized the curation said: “We are still amazed by the experience and by the quality of the ideas and lessons. We all agree that these sessions are unlocking the kyu Collective’s true value.”

Photo Credit: Sid Lee