35Hiring the Right People:
Creative Ways to Recruit and Hire
When talent is in short supply it’s tough to find great job candidates that are right for your company. Even in slower economic times, when lots of people are looking for work, it’s certainly not easy. That’s why companies benefit from having a proven system in place for recruiting, hiring, and interviewing talent—one that gets good results wherever we are in the economic cycle. Without it, you’re more likely to hire the wrong person.
Small companies in particular can make this mistake. They often hire quickly because they’re overwhelmed and feel it’s crucial to get a body in place. Yet when someone is hired and they don’t work out, everyone loses: the organization, the manager, employees, customers, and vendors. Turnover is expensive, frustrating, and bad for morale. Sometimes it can take minutes to hire and years to fire—and having the wrong person on board can drive high performers away, discourage top talent from wanting to work for you, alienate customers, and hurt your business in countless other ways.
I’ve been fortunate to be able to speak with many leaders over the years about good hiring practices. Here are a few of my favorite strategies:
- Create an internal team of recruiters. Instead of treating recruitment as a separate function, treat these people as business partners. People inside your company know better than anyone else the skills and behavior needed.
- Ask around (and keep recruitment on your daily ...