The most admired companies of our time have one thing in common. They are keenly adept at attracting and nurturing rising stars. They work diligently at this because they know that high-achieving personnel tend to have a profound influence on operating results. To this end, recruiters need to know that there are five different talent types that they should look for and fight furiously for when staffing their organizations.

Technical Savvy

Big data drives growth. Today's recruiters need to develop an intuitive understanding of how businesses harness big data analytics to shape their competitive strategy. This understanding should be reflected in their recruiting efforts. New blood entering the organization should be expected to rise to the challenge by demonstrating an ability to keep up with industry's ever-increasing demands for more and better information.

Great Communication Skills

People with superior "communication skills” possess a bundle of desirable abilities that include writing, speaking and social intelligence. According to the Kent State School of Journalism and Mass Communication, which has master’s in public relations programs, individuals possessing a background in public relations make ideal potential candidates in this regard.

Ability to Influence

The ability to influence others is a key competency commonly found in top performing personnel. It is often the number one competency identified in managerial and leadership roles as declared by the editors of the HumanResources.com website. The ability to influence is useful in establishing credibility for any organization.

Multi-Tasking

Odds are that any given organization's staff will at some time be simultaneously involved in different projects or initiatives. The ability to gracefully juggle a myriad of demands associated with multi-tasking is indeed a highly-sought after skill. Of course, effective results are recognized when work is completed on-time, correctly, and with the least amount of organizational stress possible.

Decision-Making Skills

Decisiveness combined with the ability to solve problems is a form of business artistry. Folks in possession of such virtuosity rest on the very nexus of creativity and logic. Those gifted this set of skills are able to objectively decode incoming signals, and act thoughtfully and with dexterity to help organizations capitalize on early-stage opportunities.

It’s quite easy to say “we value talent above all else,” but talk, as everyone knows, is cheap. Talk needs to be met with action. The kind of action that makes attracting and holding onto talent part of organizational culture.

Experts say that too many firms do a better job of driving top talent away than pulling it in. They cannot see how their culture, policies and attitudes are pushing great people out the door. Putting some thought into the foregoing list of talent types can inspire future HR directors to think differently and more creatively about how they recruit.