HR leaders are facing profound industry transformation – and a host of accompanying challenges. As responsibilities expand and the demand for talent continues to surge, leaders need fresh expertise and a more deliberate recruitment approach.
A strategic talent acquisition partner can help find the talent to exceed your business goals. But getting the most from that partnership requires building a shared vision, leveraging expert counsel, and fostering full immersion with your leadership team.
Froedtert Health and Cielo serve as a blueprint of TA partnership done right. Here’s how they redefined the way modern organizations achieve next-level results:
1. Creating shared vision
Building a mutual understanding of success is the foundation for an effective partnership. Froedtert Health and Cielo began their journey together in 2016 and set goals to strategically enhance the organization's HR function. Together, they aligned with Froedtert's vision of "Making More Possible," creating a roadmap for bright results.
"Cielo's solution wasn't plug and play," said Eric Humphrey, Chief Human Resources Officer, Froedtert ThedaCare Health. "We're building this together, and that's what's special about it."
Cielo has helped Froedtert accelerate its efforts to "make more possible" by enabling:
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- Priority setting and decision-making: A shared vision and goals ensure your HR leadership team and TA partner are aligned on priorities. Cielo's understanding of Froedtert's overarching business objectives enables decision-making with a clear focus on what matters most, reducing the risk of conflicting talent strategies or wasted resources.
- Investment and resource allocation: The Froedtert and Cielo teams jointly determine where to invest time, effort, and resources. Pooling collective expertise can optimize costs, eliminate redundancy, and ensure investments are strategically directed toward desired outcomes. This collaborative approach fosters a sense of collective ownership and results in greater efficiency.
- Continuous monitoring and improvement: The Cielo team sits alongside leaders at Froedtert's monthly HR operations meetings, influencing and advising on how talent strategies take shape. This level of cooperation promotes ongoing assessment as the teams regularly review performance metrics and key initiatives, share feedback, and make any necessary adjustments.
- Priority setting and decision-making: A shared vision and goals ensure your HR leadership team and TA partner are aligned on priorities. Cielo's understanding of Froedtert's overarching business objectives enables decision-making with a clear focus on what matters most, reducing the risk of conflicting talent strategies or wasted resources.
Close, ongoing collaboration ensures your recruitment strategies are aligned with your business priorities but remain agile and adaptive to evolving needs.
2. Going beyond requisitions with strategic counsel
Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) has evolved and emerged as a true talent acquisition partnership. It's no longer about simply filling open requisitions – it's about shaping the future of your workforce.
"Talent is more than just a requisition to fill, and Cielo is more than an RPO," said Humphrey. "I think that's where the magic goes on. The other piece is the creation of the strategy and helping put all the talent pieces together. That input allows us to plan how we're going to tackle the people portion of the business."
Cielo experts have helped transform Froedtert's talent strategy by delivering:
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- Strategic alignment: The Cielo team is committed to aligning recruitment strategies with Froedtert's broader business goals. Rather than reacting to job openings, the team proactively assesses the organization's talent needs and works with the HR leadership team to develop plans for long-term success.
- Market insights and expertise: Backed by strong industry expertise, Cielo advises Froedtert's leadership team on innovative strategies beyond TA – expanding to employer brand, technology consulting, and more. Insight into market trends, candidate expectations, and emerging technologies ensure Froedtert stays ahead of the competition.
- Strategic alignment: The Cielo team is committed to aligning recruitment strategies with Froedtert's broader business goals. Rather than reacting to job openings, the team proactively assesses the organization's talent needs and works with the HR leadership team to develop plans for long-term success.
"Cielo understands talent, the market, how to hire. They're also able to provide expertise beyond recruiting and offer strategy, technology, and innovation," said Humphrey.
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- Data-driven decision-making: The best TA partners don't rely on a gut feeling – they use data instead. Cielo's data-driven insights inform choices about where to invest resources and how to leverage tactics. Analytics also measure the impact of recruitment efforts and return on investment. When Froedtert's business priorities shifted to filling a prioritized set of clinical roles, Cielo evaluated previous time-to-fill data and current labor market availability metrics to determine the best hiring approach.
- Flexibility and scalability: Adapting to market conditions and business requirements is a must. When Froedtert expanded into new markets with neighborhood hospitals and clinics, Cielo performed a thorough labor market scan and created hiring strategies that would resonate with those communities.
- Data-driven decision-making: The best TA partners don't rely on a gut feeling – they use data instead. Cielo's data-driven insights inform choices about where to invest resources and how to leverage tactics. Analytics also measure the impact of recruitment efforts and return on investment. When Froedtert's business priorities shifted to filling a prioritized set of clinical roles, Cielo evaluated previous time-to-fill data and current labor market availability metrics to determine the best hiring approach.
A TA partner who understands your business objectives and industry dynamics can offer the right guidance to transform your talent strategy. Leveraging their expertise optimizes processes and enhances your agility and ability to attract top talent.
3. Fostering full immersion
Talent acquisition partners offer specialized expertise, resources, and technology to streamline hiring – but the greatest value of your investment lies in fully immersing your partner into your HR leadership team.
"Cielo is the Froedtert recruiting team," said Humphrey. "We have people on site working with managers and leaders, and they've developed relationships. Cielo is us."
Cielo's integration with Froedtert's team has resulted in:
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- Visibility to the business: The Cielo team engages with Froedtert's key stakeholders, like business executives and department heads. "We allow our leaders exposure to Cielo," said Humphrey. "We've built relationships and have communication happening at multiple levels of leadership."
This close collaboration instilled trust and a deep understanding of the organization, allowing Cielo to develop informed talent strategies quickly and effectively. It's also increased visibility to the recruitment process, candidate pipelines, and hiring costs. - Short-term and long-term planning: Synchronized planning has supported Froedtert's immediate hiring needs while anticipating long-term goals. The teams jointly examine current needs and assess industry trends, skill gaps, and future talent requirements across all areas of the business.
- Visibility to the business: The Cielo team engages with Froedtert's key stakeholders, like business executives and department heads. "We allow our leaders exposure to Cielo," said Humphrey. "We've built relationships and have communication happening at multiple levels of leadership."
"I always have Cielo at my HR leader meetings, so they understand what's going on in every area, from D&I to compensation to education," said Humphrey. "We share updates on what's going on in the market and where the organization is moving short-term and long-term."
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- Agility and adaptability: Immersion in the Froedtert team has empowered Cielo to respond quickly to changing market conditions and adjust to match the organization's needs.
"Froedtert has grown in different markets, and Cielo has been able to ramp up or reshuffle to focus on our needs," said Humphrey. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it became crucial to focus on both flexibility and capability. Cielo worked to identify candidates with a different set of competencies, which allowed Froedtert to augment onsite nursing with virtual patient care. - Seamless candidate experience: One of the biggest benefits of creating cohesion between your HR leadership team and TA partner is the seamless and positive journey it creates for candidates. Cielo has helped enhance the candidate experience by elevating Froedtert's employer branding, expanding its reach, and nurturing candidate relationships.
- Agility and adaptability: Immersion in the Froedtert team has empowered Cielo to respond quickly to changing market conditions and adjust to match the organization's needs.
"Cielo understands our operations and our culture," said Humphrey. "They're able to put the stories together, and they tell our story better than we do."
This unified approach resulted in a 2022 Talent Board Candidate Experience (CandE) Award win.
In the ever-evolving human resources landscape, partner immersion is a necessary step toward transformation and growth. Combining your team's knowledge with the expertise of a TA partner can better align your business goals to create a future-proofed talent strategy – and lasting success.
