I’m not going to shock anyone with this concept, though I often think it’s forgotten through the hiring process and in the drive to fill open requirements: Great companies become great by having great people. Wow, how shocking, right?
Yet time and time again, organizations are not really trying to hire the best. They’re just trying to hire the easiest. The candidates that apply to their job postings. Candidates that can be had for less than the all important mid-point. Candidates who are quickest to interview. In other words, candidates who don’t need to be sold, that are all ready to come on board, because they are either unemployed or simply miserable where they are.
But what successful organization won’t point to the people they have on staff as the primary reason for their success?
For any key position, and I’m not just speaking of the C suite, but any role that can impact the company’s bottom line through increasing revenue or controlling costs, the recruiting effort needs to go beyond the posting and resume’ shuffling.
Top candidates need to be identified, sourced out, and invited in for conversations. The opportunity needs to be sold, not just presented in a job description format.
I’m not suggesting that openings remain open forever until the perfect person walks in the door, (In fact, the other problem is when you DO have a great candidate, too often lengthy window shopping creates a problem, and by the time you realize you already have a superstar, someone else acted more quickly and hired the person away, and your back to Square One) but wouldn’t it make sense to take an extra step, whether through a third part recruiter who can do more direct sourcing for you, or an internal recruiter who knows how to truly sell the company, and go out and find additional candidates to make certain that you have a strong slate to make the best choice possible?
Ultimately, the success of your organization depends on hiring the best people available. So invest some time and money, and find that person, pronto!
