Too often, the in-house vs agency recruitment dilemma is the most provocative debate on tap within the recruitment community. Or which kind of social media will work best for a particular organisation.

But last week brought some excitement in the form of Jacqueline Davies, global head of talent, performance and resourcing at Barclays Retail Banking, whose clear-eyed perception of how and where talent mongering needs to change direction was a mighty blast of fresh air. Speaking at the Human Resources Forum in London, Davies gave the audience a lengthy laundry list of issues to wrestle with in the volatile talent environment, from taking responsibility for improving the skills deficit to customising work and building talented organisations. See p10 for some of her provocative vision.

On a more tactical note, look no further than your local high street Fat Face for engaging, values-driven recruitment processes that can’t help but reel in, or ’pull’, potential candidates to work at the high-energy clothing retailer, as one of its gleefully light-hearted ’poaching cards’ suggests. Asking candidates which films they would watch again and again, and what their signature karaoke tune is - now that’s an application form worth filling out.

And finally, congratulations to all who placed in the 2010 Hot 100. In a tough year, the tough came out on top.

DeeDee Doke
Editor