Written by Glenn Beauchamp Managing Director | Principal IT/ICT Executive Recruiter
Effective recruiting is a proactive process that’s ongoing, running 24/7, 365 days a year. If you’re genuinely passionate about hiring the right people in a growing, global knowledge economy, you need to keep hiring for the future top of mind.
As an effective, and in demand manager, you probably already know your number one achievement and priority should be the quality of team you are able to recruit, coach into a high performing team, and importantly retain as part of your organisation’s succession program.
The exceptional talent you want are rarely available when you’re ready for them to start
In a perfect world your business will be growing and hitting your strategic plan targets. And just when you have all your ducks lined up, you will run a recruitment process and secure the best candidate in the market. This RARELY, if ever happens! Expecting to make a few phone calls, posting a job advertisement, reaching out to someone on Linkedin or via any other method; statistically does not secure the absolute best person for your team. What actually happens is you secure the best of who is available at the time you are recruiting, not the BEST candidate in the market. That’s the person you want – always!.
Your business should always be in a position to take advantage of a new hire opportunity
As a career specialist recruiter, each week I hear client hiring managers lamenting their regret of not being in a position to hire a particular person they know would have added tremendous value to their business. The worst sometimes happens to, and they end up as a star performer with a competitor.
It doesn’t matter if your business is a startup or ASX listed international behemoth, your business plan should always include a provision for strategic people hires, with appropriate budgets and organisational flexibility in place. We all know things change, constantly.
There will always be a global shortage of the A-player candidates. Your business should always be in a position to take advantage of market fortune when it arises, which includes hiring.
What should you do?
If you want to grow your business and be known as a hiring manager and leader of note, think about the following:
- Have a Plan: Develop a plan for prospective recruiting. Get your managers and team involved, explain why and add this to their JD’s, have incentives in place, leverage internal and external expertise.
- Have a “warm list” of potential hires (10-20 people): Interview prospective hires informally and be clear you don’t have an immediate vacancy. You should have at least one interview per week of this nature. Imagine having a list of pre-interviewed, assessed and top performers you can call?
- Doppelgang key staff: ALL your key, strategic staff should have a “doppelgänger” – i.e. if a critical staff member left tomorrow, could you replace them? What would be the impact if a handful of your key people left to set up their own business, or worse, went to a competitor? You should “insure” yourself against this risk.
- Map your talent in the (global) market: This is much harder and requires some specific expertise and focused time. If your business has 3-4 key skills in hot demand for example, you should know where the top 20% of candidates with that expertise are working to start building a relationship. Alternatively have a trusted recruitment partner who has the expertise to do this for you.
If you would like to Recruit, Retain and Retrain A-Player employees, please get in contact.
