HIRE AND STAFF
WHY IT MATTERS
The organizations that win in today’s competitive marketplace are the organizations with the best and most talented people. People are an organizations most important asset. They are the key to long-term relevance and success. Nothing good can happen without talented people behind it. Leaders that can attract, hire, and staff their organizations with top talent gain the single greatest advantage they can in their mission to rise above their competition and satisfy their customer’s demands. Leaders that fail to hire strong candidates and staff their organizations with the right people at the right time won’t have to wonder what went wrong when they are outpaced and outlasted by their rivals.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that excel at hiring and staffing their organization know the importance of making the right hire the first time. They know that it always costs more money to try and manage a poor hire out of the organization than it does to ensure they bring the right people into the organization. They refuse the pressure to rush a hiring decision if it means being satisfied with less than stellar talent. They invest in their hiring and staffing processes because they know people are the machine that will produce all they hope to accomplish.
Leaders that effectively hire and staff put in place strategies to attract the best people into their organization long before the hiring and staffing processes begin. They don’t just announce job openings. They create an employee brand that is targeted towards attracting the kind of people they want to work for them. They know the big picture of why employees choose to come to their organization, the type of talent they need, and where to find people with the desired skills.
Leaders that hire effectively implement standardized hiring and staffing processes across the organization for all people managers to use. They teach the best practices for interviewing. They plan the interview process to respond to the critical nature and work. They discover people’s skills and abilities through well thought out interview questions. They make use of hiring assessments when the situation merits their investment. They know the best predictor of future performance is evidence of past performance. They employ job simulations to measure people’s aptitude to do the work that will be required of them.
Leaders that hire and staff effectively are motivated to hire the best candidate every time they have an opening to fill. They see past the exterior of a resume or single interview to grasp an individual’s real potential. They are willing to take a risk on hiring someone with the best talent even if they don’t have the most experience or education, or the most competitive resume.
Leaders that excel at hiring and staffing involve other people in the organization in the interviewing process to get a broader perspective and help them make the right hiring decision. After making hiring decisions they are quick to reach out to those candidates not hired to give them feedback and express gratitude for their interest. They maintain a pool of candidates so they can start with a full pipeline when job openings arise.
BELIEFS
SELF-REFLECTION
WORDS OF CAUTION
The organizations that win in today’s competitive marketplace are the organizations with the best and most talented people. People are an organizations most important asset. They are the key to long-term relevance and success. Nothing good can happen without talented people behind it. Leaders that can attract, hire, and staff their organizations with top talent gain the single greatest advantage they can in their mission to rise above their competition and satisfy their customer’s demands. Leaders that fail to hire strong candidates and staff their organizations with the right people at the right time won’t have to wonder what went wrong when they are outpaced and outlasted by their rivals.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that excel at hiring and staffing their organization know the importance of making the right hire the first time. They know that it always costs more money to try and manage a poor hire out of the organization than it does to ensure they bring the right people into the organization. They refuse the pressure to rush a hiring decision if it means being satisfied with less than stellar talent. They invest in their hiring and staffing processes because they know people are the machine that will produce all they hope to accomplish.
Leaders that effectively hire and staff put in place strategies to attract the best people into their organization long before the hiring and staffing processes begin. They don’t just announce job openings. They create an employee brand that is targeted towards attracting the kind of people they want to work for them. They know the big picture of why employees choose to come to their organization, the type of talent they need, and where to find people with the desired skills.
Leaders that hire effectively implement standardized hiring and staffing processes across the organization for all people managers to use. They teach the best practices for interviewing. They plan the interview process to respond to the critical nature and work. They discover people’s skills and abilities through well thought out interview questions. They make use of hiring assessments when the situation merits their investment. They know the best predictor of future performance is evidence of past performance. They employ job simulations to measure people’s aptitude to do the work that will be required of them.
Leaders that hire and staff effectively are motivated to hire the best candidate every time they have an opening to fill. They see past the exterior of a resume or single interview to grasp an individual’s real potential. They are willing to take a risk on hiring someone with the best talent even if they don’t have the most experience or education, or the most competitive resume.
Leaders that excel at hiring and staffing involve other people in the organization in the interviewing process to get a broader perspective and help them make the right hiring decision. After making hiring decisions they are quick to reach out to those candidates not hired to give them feedback and express gratitude for their interest. They maintain a pool of candidates so they can start with a full pipeline when job openings arise.
BELIEFS
- Companies and organizations live or die based on the level of talent they can attract and hire.
- An organization’s most crucial advantage is the talent and capability of its people.
- The first key to great hiring and staffing is great company branding and recruiting.
- The best indicator of future performance is past performance. Select candidates based on their relevant experience.
- If you aren’t clear what type of person you are trying to hire upfront it will be hard to know if you found them at the end.
- The only thing worse than no hire is a bad hire. Be willing to really invest in getting hiring right.
- The more perspectives you have on a hiring candidate the more likely you will be to make the right hiring decision.
- If you want to staff your organization with the best talent don’t be afraid to hire people who are more capable than you.
- Put in place solid recruiting strategies.
- Attract the best talent to the organization.
- Have a clear employee brand and image.
- Match people to roles that use their talents.
- Look beyond skills to see fit and personality.
- Be willing to hire people better than you are.
- Be aware of the laws that govern interviewing.
- Do not get pressured into making hiring decisions.
- Use hiring agencies appropriately.
- Be willing to take hiring risks and bet on people.
- Involve other people in the hiring process.
- Ensure the hiring process isn’t too short or long.
- Create accurate job descriptions.
- Match the right people to the right jobs.
- Use assessments to evaluate talent.
- Do not rely solely on gut instinct alone.
- Apply proven interview techniques.
- Hire a diverse employee population.
- Promptly follow up with hiring candidates.
- Know governmental regulations for hiring.
- Take the hiring of people very seriously.
- Have and teach a defined hiring process.
SELF-REFLECTION
- Do I have standard hiring procedures in place, or do I let each manager have their own hiring process?
- Do I take the time to plan for each hiring decision, or do I jump into interviews unprepared?
- Do I rely on evidence of performance to make hiring decisions, or do I just rely on someone’s ability to answer questions well?
- Do I include other people in the hiring process, or do I rely on my own instinct to make the right decision every time?
- Do I have an employment branding and communication strategy, or do I just hope people want to work for me?
- Do I patiently work until I find the right candidate, or do I rush hiring decisions out of an urgency to fill a position?
- Do I understand the cost of a bad hire to the organization, or do I hire people just to fill a position?
- Do I know and follow legal regulations for hiring, or do I leave myself open to risk by not knowing proper protocol?
WORDS OF CAUTION
- Don’t invest equally in every hiring decision, as some roles deserve much more time and attention than others.
- Don’t overregulate the hiring process to the point you negate the “gut feeling” of hiring managers.
- Don’t underestimate the importance of ensuring all hiring practices fit within the constraints of local law.
- Where you advertise for an open position is just as important as whom you hire.
- Everyone I meet is a potential job candidate.
- I know exactly what I need to ask to find the right person.
- I follow a clear plan during the hiring process.
- I take it personally when someone I hire turns out to be wrong.
- The hiring process should be tailored to each specific position.