Hire Top Talent

One of the things I liked about this article was the idea of giving someone a project - making the interview process more like real work. This is the absolute best way of validating what someone's capability is, their intellect, and what they will be like to work with.

Short of asking them to spend a short term consulting assignment with you, what ways have you turned the interview process into a test of real ability and work?

Barry Deutsch

IMPACT Hiring Solutions HIRE and RETAIN Top Talent

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/blog

Do you have a FREE Copy of our best selling e-book on how to hire and retain top talent?

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/hiring-managers/hiring-products/our-award-winning-book/a-digital-ebook-version

Learn how your success depends on the quality of the team you build and keep by joining us in our LinkedIn Discussion Group on hiring and retaining top talent

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/IMPACT-Hiring-Solutions-HOW-Hire-1819296/about

Most people think hiring and firing is difficult. It's not when we're rational and objective. The minute we allow our "gut" and emotions to dictate our decisions, hiring mistakes run rampant, and then we are unwilling to brutally confront reality when someone should be fired.

One of the statements in this article hit home. The author shared his approach to hiring by stating "Sure, ‘go with your gut’ to some extent, but I also try and focus on hard verifiable evidence and try and ignore the rest."

Recognize and respect your gut feeling - but validate, verify, and vet it by collecting, probing, and digging for quantifiable data.

Barry Deutsch

IMPACT Hiring Solutions HIRE and RETAIN Top Talent

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/blog

Do you have a FREE Copy of our best selling e-book on how to hire and retain top talent?

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/hiring-managers/hiring-products/our-award-winning-book/a-digital-ebook-version

Learn how your success depends on the quality of the team you build and keep by joining us in our LinkedIn Discussion Group on hiring and retaining top talent

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/IMPACT-Hiring-Solutions-HOW-Hire-1819296/about

I focused on one element of this article, the point made by the author about employee referral programs:

Studies show 60% of employees would participate in a referral program if they could. However, only 23% actually do so, because their company doesn’t provide the tools or actively promote their employee referral program. If your company doesn’t make the referral process simple, you’ll be losing out on top talent because your workers just won’t utilize it.

My recommendation in my CEO and Senior Executive Hiring Workshop You're NOT the Person I Hired is that referrals should comprise 50% or more of all your hires.

Most companies struggle down around the 10-15% range. It's because as the studies show - the company doesn't provide the tools or actively promote the referral program.

I'm found of asking the CEOs and Execs in my workshop, how do your employees find out about an opening. The most common response is: when the candidate shows up for work. How sad.

Barry Deutsch

IMPACT Hiring Solutions HIRE and RETAIN Top Talent

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/blog

Do you have a FREE Copy of our best selling e-book on how to hiring and retaining top talent?

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/hiring-managers/hiring-products/our-award-winning-book/a-digital-ebook-version

Learn how your success depends on the quality of the team you build and keep by joining us in our LinkedIn Discussion Group on hiring and retaining top talent

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/IMPACT-Hiring-Solutions-HOW-Hire-1819296/about

My favorite quote from this article was:

"In other words, if the only way to advance in a company is to manage other people, that’s what employees will sign up for. Whether they’re actually good at motivating and helping other people succeed in their jobs is another issue entirely, particularly if they’re used to looking out for No. 1."

So if less than 25% want to be managers and less than 1/3 actually enjoy their management job - why do companies still insist on promoting people doing the job into roles where they are managing others doing the job?

First, it's because we're stuck in a mid-century paradigm that there is only one path and it's to manage others. Once we liberate ourselves from this antiquated thinking, employee satisfaction will rise and better managers will be placed into managerial roles.

Secondly, companies do a terrible job preparing individual contributors to be in a supervisory role. You would ask someone to conduct open heart surgery after one year of medical school, so why do we expect someone who's good at doing the work to be in charge of managing others with zero training, preparation, coaching, and practical experience?

Barry Deutsch

IMPACT Hiring Solutions HIRE and RETAIN Top Talent

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/blog

Do you have a FREE Copy of our best selling e-book on how to hiring and retaining top talent?

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/hiring-managers/hiring-products/our-award-winning-book/a-digital-ebook-version

Learn how your success depends on the quality of the team you build and keep by joining us in our LinkedIn Discussion Group on hiring and retaining top talent

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/IMPACT-Hiring-Solutions-HOW-Hire-1819296/about

This has become a major area of study for me lately. First, because as a High School Girls Basketball Coach, I'm trying to teach mental toughness, which for those that have never experienced the need to be mentally tough in their entire life - can be quite a challenge.

The second application of toughness is how does it apply to the business world and hiring. I like the perspective of Ryan Smith on toughness in hiring. The issue of toughness is overcoming adversity, obstacles, and set-backs. How do you respond when things are not going well?

Do you measure toughness when you interview for critical roles?

Barry Deutsch

IMPACT Hiring Solutions HIRE and RETAIN Top Talent

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/blog

Do you have a FREE Copy of our best selling e-book on how to hiring and retaining top talent?

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/hiring-managers/hiring-products/our-award-winning-book/a-digital-ebook-version

Learn how your success depends on the quality of the team you build and keep by joining us in our LinkedIn Discussion Group on hiring and retaining top talent

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/IMPACT-Hiring-Solutions-HOW-Hire-1819296/about

A key point in this blog post caught me eye - the author mentioned the idea that hiring managers need to think about what's in it for the candidate.

Although the idea may seem very basic, the vast majority of hiring managers struggle to understand why someone would leave their current job and come to their job. What's so great about your opportunity?

If you cannot market to me - showing me what I'll learn in the role, what impact I'll have, and what I'll become for having been in this role (see our explanation of how the LIB curve inflluences hiring), and I'm a great candidate with multiple opportunities - you're just NOT going to capture my interest.

This approach of defining the learning, impact, and becoming elements of a position is what we call the Compelling Marketing Statement. Thousands of clients around the world have told us that this one document has dramatically transformed the caliber of person who applies.

Do you think about or care what a candidate's needs are when you're interviewing?

Barry Deutsch

IMPACT Hiring Solutions HIRE and RETAIN Top Talent

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/blog

Do you have a FREE Copy of our best selling e-book on how to hiring and retaining top talent?

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/hiring-managers/hiring-products/our-award-winning-book/a-digital-ebook-version

Learn how your success depends on the quality of the team you build and keep by joining us in our LinkedIn Discussion Group on hiring and retaining top talent

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/IMPACT-Hiring-Solutions-HOW-Hire-1819296/about

From the archive of our popular Hire and Retain Top Talent Blog:

Do you look at a candidate's LinkedIn profile, their profile picture on Facebook, or their Twitter Image/Stream of posts?

Some of the social media commenting, pictures, ranks, and sharing is just downright unprofessional. Does it provide a pattern you predict behavior, style, and character from?

Why do most candidates not bother to change the negative image they foster on-line: Because they know you'll never check - much like reference checking or background checks.

Validate, verify, vet every single item about someone - from their on-line images to their claims in the interview.

Barry Deutsch

IMPACT Hiring Solutions HIRE and RETAIN Top Talent

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/blog

Do you have a FREE Copy of our best selling e-book on how to hiring and retaining top talent?

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/hiring-managers/hiring-products/our-award-winning-book/a-digital-ebook-version

Learn how your success depends on the quality of the team you build and keep by joining us in our LinkedIn Discussion Group on hiring and retaining top talent

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/IMPACT-Hiring-Solutions-HOW-Hire-1819296/about

Elizabeth does a great job framing the idea that attracting candidates is a marketing and sales activity. The best go to companies and executives who treat candidates differently than processing candidates like a production line.

My most succesful clients put their marketing and sales hat on everytime they think about bringing talent to their organization, from the way they write the ad to the conversations they have with candidates about what's in it for them.

What type of treatment do candidates get in your hiring process?

Barry Deutsch

IMPACT Hiring Solutions HIRE and RETAIN Top Talent

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/blog

Do you have a FREE Copy of our best selling e-book on how to hire and retain top talent?

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/hiring-managers/hiring-products/our-award-winning-book/a-digital-ebook-version

Learn how your success depends on the quality of the team you build and keep by joining us in our LinkedIn Discussion Group on hiring and retaining top talent

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/IMPACT-Hiring-Solutions-HOW-Hire-1819296/about

This was an interesting article that painted a wide range of reasons why employers are not hiring quick enough. The author infers there are plenty of unemployed people to fill the available jobs - so what's the problem.

I disagree with almost every single point the author made about why companies are being cautious and SLOW in hiring.

Here's my three perspectives on the issue of why more jobs are not getting filled faster with unemployed candidates based on having been through 5 major recessions over 30 years as a recruiter.

1. Most hiring managers have no idea how to define what they are looking for - nor do they have the skills to conduct effective interviews. The result is a beauty contest where hiring managers keep looking at candidates until they find one to fall in love with. Until more hiring managers receive good training from their companies - mistakes, errors, and beauty contests will rule the day.

2. In a down job market with a high number of unemployed candidates, hiring managers subconsiously can take advantage of those candidates by feeling like they could always find someone better if they hold out just a little longer. Sort of like dating. Supply is high and I'm in the drivers seat. Since I don't know how to define success, I'll keep checking the boxes on the job description until I find Mr. Perfect. (Complete waste of time - see item #1).

3. There is still a stigma for most managers against hiring unemployed candidates  - viewing them as damaged goods. Unemployed candidates are evaluated at a higher standard than employed candidates. Once again, the way to fix this problem is to improve how roles are defined and improve hiring manager interview training to ensure accurate decisions are being made.

Barry Deutsch

IMPACT Hiring Solutions HIRE and RETAIN Top Talent

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/blog

Do you have a FREE Copy of our best selling e-book on how to hiring and retaining top talent?

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/hiring-managers/hiring-products/our-award-winning-book/a-digital-ebook-version

Learn how your success depends on the quality of the team you build and keep by joining us in our LinkedIn Discussion Group on hiring and retaining top talent

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/IMPACT-Hiring-Solutions-HOW-Hire-1819296/about

Interesting infographic presenting a candidate's perspective of the hiring process they go through when applying for a job. Not sure I would buy into the percentages HireRight wants us to believe about candidate perceptions -  however, the truth is that most companies treat candidates badly during the hiring process - causing damage to their brand - the spread of horrific comments on social media - and perhaps most importantly, a lack of referrals due to a bad experience.

If there is one thing I've discovered as a recruiter over the past 30 years is that the best candidates come from 2nd - 3rd level referrals of people you are engaged with in the search process. Treating people badly doesn't help when you would like a referral from them.

Barry Deutsch

IMPACT Hiring Solutions HIRE and RETAIN Top Talent

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/blog

Do you have a FREE Copy of our best selling e-book on how to hiring and retaining top talent?

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/hiring-managers/hiring-products/our-award-winning-book/a-digital-ebook-version

Learn how your success depends on the quality of the team you build and keep by joining us in our LinkedIn Discussion Group on hiring and retaining top talent

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/IMPACT-Hiring-Solutions-HOW-Hire-1819296/about

The paradigm of recruiting in most companies large enough to have an HR department with a high level professional HR manager is that the HR department is responsible for finding, sourcing, and bringing talent to the table - especially for folks on the sales team.

The article posted on the Force Management Blog hits the nail on the head by claiming:

"Recruiting top sales talent should be an ongoing initiative for Sales Managers. You have to own the talent on your team. Ultimately, the buck stops with you."

We've always recommended that individual managers (not just in sales) take personal accountability for getting the best people on their team. Most managers do the complete opposite and delegate or pass the buck to HR.

Over the last 30 years, we've noticed that the BEST managers always take personal responsibility for filling roles on their team and leverage human resources as a channel or resource - but DO NOT put all their eggs in the HR basket. Most HR professionals hate recruiting and as a result take a passive approach to it by putting all their eggs in the job board posting basket.

What type of candidates do you typically attract from posting versions of your job description on-line on job boards - the bottom third of the candidate pool. Are you happy as a Sales Executive filling your team with below average candidates?

If you want the best, you've got to take personal initiative to go after the best using tools like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and off-line networking. What's the problem with that recommendation?

Most hiring managers have never been trained how to effectively network on-line and off-line for the best talent. Is it time your company invested in training so your managers can start to take personal accountability in finding the best employees for their teams?

Barry Deutsch

IMPACT Hiring Solutions HIRE and RETAIN Top Talent

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/blog

Do you have a FREE Copy of our best selling e-book on how to hiring and retaining top talent?

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/hiring-managers/hiring-products/our-award-winning-book/a-digital-ebook-version

Learn how your success depends on the quality of the team you build and keep by joining us in our LinkedIn Discussion Group on hiring and retaining top talent

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/IMPACT-Hiring-Solutions-HOW-Hire-1819296/about

This article on Mashable underscores the importance of an effective website for attracting talent. Most companies simply list their job openings.

Imagine what would happen if you had a compelling section of your website tuned to candidates, with testimonials, video, stories, and compelling descriptions of opportunities. Would that make a difference?

My clients who invest a small amount of funds and time into developing the "candidate side" of their website see enormous returns from the quality and quantity of candidates applying for open positions.

Have you explored the best practices that exist for creating a "candidate-focused" element of your website? Do you curently have any written plans to make this small investment?

Barry Deutsch

IMPACT Hiring Solutions HIRE and RETAIN Top Talent

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/blog

Do you have a FREE Copy of our best selling e-book on how to hiring and retaining top talent?

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/hiring-managers/hiring-products/our-award-winning-book/a-digital-ebook-version

Learn how your success depends on the quality of the team you build and keep by joining us in our LinkedIn Discussion Group on hiring and retaining top talent

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/IMPACT-Hiring-Solutions-HOW-Hire-1819296/about

This company masks their sales pitch as a sales hiring mistake calculator. However, when I looked at how they calculate the cost of a sales hiring mistake, I realized they missed the most important element.

They focused on the hard out of pocket costs of a non-performer. Most studies would tell you that these costs are 2-5X the person's annual salary.

Unfortunately, the real costs are hidden opportunity costs that far outweigh any out of pocket costs: client disruption, dissatisfaction in service, always dealing with new account managers, loss of historical knowledge, relationships built up over time, etc.

How do your clients usually deal with turnover in your company in the sales ranks? They silently vote with their feet. You wonder why they don't order from you any longer, why they turn to your competitors, why your phone calls are no longer answered so quickly.

Do your sales hiring mistakes lead to unusually high customer turnover and dissatisfaction?

Barry Deutsch

IMPACT Hiring Solutions HIRE and RETAIN Top Talent

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/blog

Do you have a FREE Copy of our best selling e-book on how to hiring and retaining top talent?

http://www.impacthiringsolutions.com/hiring-managers/hiring-products/our-award-winning-book/a-digital-ebook-version

Learn how your success depends on the quality of the team you build and keep by joining us in our LinkedIn Discussion Group on hiring and retaining top talent

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/IMPACT-Hiring-Solutions-HOW-Hire-1819296/about