In today’s episode, I sit down with Gordon Patterson to discuss his mission of fostering relationships and championing individual empowerment. Gordon is the Director of Talent Acquisition at LKQ Corporation, a leading provider of alternative and specialty parts to repair and accessorize automobiles and other vehicles. In our conversation, Gordon tells us about LKQ, the changes the company is currently going through, and the different markets it serves. Hear about his role at the company, the ways he pushes the envelope in recruiting, and the value of brand recognition for finding talent. Discover the different organizations LKQ leverages for recruiting, how it retains employees, and details of its “Your Voice Matters” survey. Find out how Gordon overcame the tech hesitation hurdle, his approach to creating referrals, LKQ’s people process technology (PPT) framework, and what “sweat equity” is. Gain insights into the role of leaders in the recruitment process, the secret sauce to retaining talent, what he has planned for the future, and more. Tune in now!

 

Key Points From This Episode:

 

• History about the LKQ Corporation and what makes it unique.

• His role at the company and what he is currently working on.

• Gordon shares his approach to finding top talent for LKQ.

• How national and local partnerships help for networking.

• Hear how many hires LKQ has each year and its employee turnover.

• Exciting programs the company offers employees, such as scholarships.

• Taking feedback from employees and turning it into policy.

• The challenge of slow adoption of technology in the sector.

• Learn about the type of technologies LQK has invested in.

• Relying on non-technological tools for talent acquisition. 

• Discover the red flags he noticed in the company’s staffing process.

• Why CRM (candidate relationship management) software is essential.

 

Quotes:

 

“It has been really fun to see, in my two years [at the company], how talent acquisition has evolved to impact the business.” — Gordon Patterson [0:05:51]

 

“At LKQ, we have been very fortunate, even with all the acquisitions and movement, that a lot of our front-line associates have been with the company for twenty-plus years.” — Gordon Patterson [0:11:20]

 

“The technology that [LKQ] has invested in on the [talent acquisition] side has worked really well.” — Gordon Patterson [0:17:28]

 

“When you see the business going to contractors or temporary talent or however you want to call it; where there is smoke, there is fire.” — Gordon Patterson [0:22:28]

 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

 

Gordon Patterson on LinkedIn

LKQ Corporation

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