Smart, strategic recruiting is an ongoing process. Nothing is less forward-thinking than waiting till someone gives notice to start searching for their replacement. Some industry experts call this “coincidence hiring,” because it’s pure luck that your ideal candidate just happens to be looking when you are. The more you think about it, the more you see how risky this is.
Besides, hiring to fill turnover is merely treading water. Aren’t you trying to grow your company? That requires an increasing number of great people. The right ones will not only expand your internal talent pool, they can spark creativity and boost morale among your existing personnel. How and where can you find your next “top talent”?
Evergreen Job Programs
Some employers continually advertise certain positions within their companies. Some of these positions suffer from chronic turnover and labor shortages (nursing and retail employees are good examples). But a number of companies are using this process to leave the door open all the time – you can be available whenever a hot prospect happens to be looking.
Evergreen programs enable you to hire talented new people continuously. You don’t really have a specific opening for them, so you have to make their presence worthwhile (to them and to your company) until a bona fide position becomes available. You can use the time for training so they are fully conversant with your firm, processes, co-workers, etc. when they do move into position. Or you can give them one or several short-term assignments. You can also use this “excess” talent to finally launch new projects that have been languishing for lack of manpower.
BOLO
Whether you implement a formal evergreen job program or not, you should always Be On The Lookout for opportunities to make your company’s case to potential new employees. Think of it as job networking in reverse. Even those who love their current position are smart enough to know there could be even better possibilities out there – perhaps at your firm.
Beware concentrating on “talent.” Instead try to think of prospective employees as live, individual people, not inanimate assets. People bring more to your company than furniture, vehicles and manufacturing equipment.
Think like a startup
Alex Turnbull, CEO & Founder of Groove, wrote an excellent blog post describing how his startup “competes” with the likes of Google in hiring. Actually, they don’t. They cannot go dollar-for-dollar or perk-for-perk with gigantic competitors, so they have developed an alternative approach that could just as easily work for you. Your growing company has the same need for creative, diverse brainpower as a brand new company, doesn’t it?
You get what you look for. What you emphasize. Hiring someone whose primary concern is top salary means you’ll lose them as soon as the next employer offers more. There is no question that competitive pay says “we appreciate you,” but the people you want most have other concerns and interests that are equally (or maybe more) important. So what’s your value proposition – what sets you apart you from other potential employers? You’re looking for value in new hires. The great ones are looking for value in their next company.
Turnbull says Groove focuses on three differentiators:
- The ability to make an impact. Whether their impact is felt internally among co-workers or externally via contact with customers or vendors, the best employees want to contribute and make a difference.
- Autonomy and remote work. Remote working is on the rise across many industries and increasingly diverse types of jobs. Flexibility is a key concern among workers now, whether they work remotely or onsite. If that’s a hallmark of your company, tell people. And consider this: the ability to function with a scattered workforce – at least in some departments – vastly broadens your search area when it comes to attracting new people.
- The company’s culture and values. A person with quintessential talent isn’t a good hire if they don’t fit your company. They won’t thrive, and neither will you.
So always be on the lookout – for the right people, not just talented people. Alex Turnbull used his blog article to make a pitch: “P.S. Groove Is Hiring!” He went on to ask readers to tell their friends. Are you overlooking opportunities to make your pitch? You never know who’s listening.
