3 Secrets to Finding Great Employees
Downsizing, outsourcing, and an emphasis on leaner, more efficient organizations, make every employee very important. Our clients continually report hiring good employees as their greatest people challenge today.
Here are 3 secrets to finding well-qualified individuals who contribute and thrive in your organization.
1. Hire “A” players and do not settle for less.
Unless you have a business plan to fail, you do not want today’s under-qualified people trying to meet tomorrow’s challenges.
Hire for personal competencies, such as judgment, common sense, ability to work with others, good communication skills, versatility, initiative, self-discipline, etc. Individuals strong in these skills can learn just about anything, but a great technical person who doesn’t show up to work on time or get along with others will do far more damage long term in your organization or with customers.
Additionally, having to fire someone after months of trying to make it work, or continuing with an under-performing employee, is expensive and exhausting, plus you will need to find a replacement.
Next Step: Understand what an “A” player means to you—-create a good job profile, define the personal traits needed in that role, and understand clearly who thrives in your organization.
2. Continually build and expand your own Talent Pool.
You’ve tried all the usual places—job boards, Craigslist, even job fairs, with loads of resumes and marginal results. Just as top sports teams scout and recruit all year, you must be creative, and understand talent scouting is an ongoing activity. The good news— you don’t have to go it alone, it’s essential to enlist the help of others.
Ask your best employees for suggestions in recruiting for today’s and tomorrow’s needs, and establish an Employee Referral Program.
Partner with the local colleges and high schools with internships, career days, guest speaking, placement offices, and teachers in related courses. Teachers and counselors know the outstanding students, and can steer them in your direction if they know about your company. Schedule recruitment trips to colleges and encourage alums to participate. (Train them to interview well, as they represent the company.)
Join, and encourage your good employees to join, trade or professional organizations. Attend or present at seminars and actively participate at your trade shows. Not only will they stay abreast of current knowledge and events, they serve as ambassadors for your company. Also, contact outplacement firms, who have many well-qualified, recently laid off employees.
Next Step: Reach out into the community at large and within your own internal company community – they are most often your best sources. Consider the time spent as an investment, not an expense. It will pay dividends.
3. Good companies buy talent from their competitors; great companies build talent from within.
(You need to hire “A” players to begin with, see #1 above!). Look at current employees for promotion whenever possible and encourage movement up and throughout your company. Professional development, skills training, mentoring, and coaching should all be part of your organization’s culture. Very often, when an employee leaves, it’s because they’ve found new opportunities for growth and development, and will often express feeling unchallenged and unappreciated.
Next Step: There is no better way to demonstrate a commitment to your employees than to encourage and support them to be the best they can be and develop their talents to meet your current and future needs.
These ideas can help create more opportunities to find better hires and build a stronger team. Contact us at Cypress Ridge Solutions if we can help you create more effective hiring programs, train managers in effective interviewing skills, or utilize new hire assessments to ensure better hires.
