Talent is the lifeblood of the entertainment industry; it is obvious but often not appreciated in the busy lives we all live.
Recruiting Talent, from some casting directors viewpoint, is like herding 1000’s of cattle on the Yellowstone Ranch through a small gate, with the Casting team being the gatekeepers.
In the not too distant past and even today, some companies are still treating talent like cattle, they alienate them in every touchpoint.
Like all people, particularly those that are aiming to become a key asset to any production, performers deserve to be treated with respect and common courtesy. Whilst we all want to do the right thing, deadlines and pressure often stop us. The brief or production becomes bigger than the “human side” of the business.
Being a performer can be a day-to-day struggle. Many do not have the same fortune as the very small percentage of highly successful talent we see in big-scale productions. Angela Calo, one of JamarGig’s founders, distills these challenges perfectly in the below linked article. Angela describes first-hand how for decades, artists and performers have struggled with the reality of the brutal audition process: https://jamargig.com/nextdont-call-us-well-call-you/
Most talent and performers entering the industry today are social and digital natives. Seamless communication and an overall delightful experience through technology are expected norms. Asking someone to apply for a job or a role using archaic email, file sharing, and basic web forms and not communicating with them seamlessly is like something out of the dark ages. If you think it’s too hard, you need to change your thinking.
You may ask yourself if this is really going to impact my business? Well it will if it hasn’t already. Studies suggest it has a massive impact: 72 percent of job seekers report sharing their negative candidate experiences online and 55 percent of job seekers report avoiding certain companies after reading negative online reviews.
In contrast, a great candidate experience can have a significant positive impact on talent and, subsequently, on your business and reputation. If treated well, 95% of unsuccessful candidates would apply again, 97% of candidates would refer others to apply, and 55% would tell their social network about their experience.
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/your-recruitment-process-impact-brand-job-seekers-dean-kulaweera/
If you are not providing a positive talent experience and your competitors are, then look out as talent gravitate away from you.
Respect and responsibility translate directly to business success
The way companies engage with and treat talent tells people a lot about the culture of an organization. First experience and impressions mean a lot!
There are now 56 million (digital natives) in the workforce, which means supporting the need to change by leveraging digital technology is a must. This generation represents 35% of the total US labor force. Currently, they are the largest working generation, out numbering the 53 million Gen Xers in the US workforce. These ratios are also reflected in the entertainment industry against performers.
Food for thought? Let’s make time to adapt. It’s not just a matter of business acumen; it’s a matter of business survival. Talent is the cornerstone of our industry and how we treat them will shape your future success.
