Akey position in your company needs
to be filled. Is your first impulse to
call a newspaper and place a classified ad? Post an opening on an online job
board? If you’re looking for top quality talent, you may want to rethink your strategy,
according to Christine Belliveau, account
manager and staffing consultant for
Principal Technical Services.
“The fact is, 80 percent of all positions
are filled without ever being advertised,”
says Belliveau. “The most talented individuals are well-known in the industry
and therefore get calls all the time. They
don’t need to answer ads, and chances
are they will never see yours.”
Smart Business spoke with Belliveau
about hiring strategies that can be used to
locate the most qualified individuals, discern which ones are a good fit for your
company and entice them to join your
organization.
How do you find job candidates without running ads?
Network, network, network. If you’ve
already done your homework, you’ve
built an extensive network of people in
your industry. You’ve been involved in
organizations and societies whose members include leaders in your field. You’ve
gone out of your way to make new contacts; collecting business cards at meetings and networking events.
Now that you’ve built your network,
use it. Make a list of any contacts who
might know someone with the qualifications you’re looking for. They could be
business associates, recruiters, even current or past employees. Contact these
individuals, ask about potential candidates and ask if any of their associates
might be able to help locate candidates
as well.
If you haven’t yet built such a network,
get started today.
What are some strategies for building a
network?
The goal is to meet as many people in
your industry as possible. If you make an average of one new contact each day,
you’re on the right track. Make an effort
to attend events that will allow you to
socialize with others in your field.
Events may be sponsored by professional organizations, trade associations and
business councils. The important thing
to remember when attending these
events is not to spend time talking with
friends and co-workers. Time spent with
them is time taken away from your primary purpose — making new contacts
to build your network.
It may seem obvious, but each individual added to your network is a potential
source of other new contacts, and so on,
and so on.
Another resource to tap into would be
your local university. Offering to mentor
students or give guest lectures provides
an opportunity to meet talented individuals entering your field in the future, as
well as the professors who can be on the
lookout for talent for you.
How can companies make sure they’re hiring the best candidate for a job?
That’s a very important question. Too
often in today’s fast-paced business
world, personnel decisions are made quickly with minimal information about
the candidate. Managers tend to spend
more time investigating the merits of
new software than new employees.
In light of today’s labor shortage and
the war for talent, now is the time to
carefully consider each hiring decision. If a candidate has an impressive
resume and interviews well, ask yourself whether he or she fits in with your
company’s culture. Will this person get
along well with your current employees? Is this the type of person who
inspires those around him/her to perform at their best? These qualities
can’t usually be assessed in an interview. The best way to tease out this
information is to invite the candidate
to a social function — dinner or a ball-game — with future co-workers. Yes,
this involves added investment of both
time and money, but it’s an investment
that will pay off in the form of
increased productivity and decreased
turnover.
How can the most talented individuals be
convinced to accept a job offer?
We’re talking about individuals who
are in high demand. In fact, most of
them are currently employed, which
means you’re going to have to steal
them away from another company
(hence, the expression ‘war for talent’).
Many of them are satisfied with their
current situation, and you’ll have to
actively recruit them and entice them to
change jobs.
Obviously, compensation will be a
huge factor, but candidates will also be
interested in other benefits, both tangible and intangible, that you can offer.
Health insurance, 401(k) and paid time
off are traditional benefits. More progressive ideas include flexible schedules, job sharing and telecommuting.
CHRISTINE BELLIVEAU is an account manager and staffing
consultant for Principal Technical Services. Reach her at (888)
787-3711, ext. 31 or [email protected].