FIND the Perfect Employee

Once you’re competitive, and making current staff happy, where do you FIND talent?                          

First, are you properly prepared? Do you have complete, current job descriptions, proper, legal employment applications, and a full understanding of what you need not only in each position to be filled but also in your company culture as a whole?

Don’t miss the opportunities right under your own nose. You may not be fully utilizing the talents of your own staff. Are your procedures efficient? Can you streamline the workflow and give more work to fewer people? Please note: I am not talking about creating cases of corporate anemia. Understaffing is a more deadly workplace disease than any other. But if you have multiple redundancies you may be able to create a more efficient structure. For example, are you scanning all the paper into your system then keeping and filing the paper? Does the boss still open all the mail in your firm? Is one person still “sorting” all company incoming email, instead of each person having their own address?  Don’t let anyone go as a result, though. That would only kill morale again. Unless you truly have dead wood to thin out, find new and interesting ways to use that talent to generate new business for your company!

Have you asked the people who already work there how to solve turnover problems (before they leave)? Are your people promoted to their highest level of competence? Or have you moved them all the way up to their point of incompetence? Is your staff fully trained or are you sending them to the cheapest possible schools just to meet some artificially imposed quota?

Is your staff bringing in new recruits? Do you reward staff for bringing new recruits?  Are you the kind of employer that employees brag about to their friends? It’s easy to tell. Just get your coffee in the company kitchen every morning, instead of the executive lounge.  In fact, close the executive lounge. You’ll find out more about how your company is really doing in the kitchen than you will from a financial report.

How does your staff apply for different jobs in the firm? Can they move to another department without fear of retribution? When someone wants to move within the company, please use full application and interview procedures for that candidate.  Test all skills, as if they were new. Moving within the company should be encouraged, but it should be a privilege earned. And, reject internal candidates, if needed, carefully.  Be sensitive about the rejection and encourage them that they will have another chance. Always find out why they wanted to move in the first place. You may have a problem in their original department that can be fixed.

College Campus Recruiting can be very useful. For example, many trade associations will have some type of Turnkey Recruiting Kit. You can use those as a model for building one for your company. Make a list of colleges in your area and contact them about Career Days. You can also use a brochure to show prospective candidates all the different possibilities in your industry. Understand the demographics. For instance, as of 2018, the insurance sector employed approximately 2.69 million people and 2.4 million people just in the USA. There are about 36,500 independent agencies, 3,400 P&C companies, and handled $1.22 trillion in premium. They account for 2% of the total U.S. employment! What are the numbers in your area or business?  Don’t forget to use your own personal contacts at colleges including alumni clubs or business fraternities. You can make presentations to the school’s social clubs, fraternities, sororities, and business clubs.

Look for opportunities to build internships. The business colleges are almost always happy to work with you, to help place their students in jobs. Remember, if your industry is a hard sell as a career due to public misconception, overcome that by letting them get to know you personally!

Consider pulling new candidates from other industries, but don’t use a shotgun approach.  Recruit sales staff from companies that relate to your industry. Find administrative staff from (your competitor’s) clients in the areas where you specialize.  Networking is critical. Here is a new concept: You should be as active looking for new employees as you are looking for new clients.

Employment agencies can be useful if you’re short on time or have to be very specific in the search. Be sure to check fees; it’s expensive. And you should set your procedure, not the employment firm. If you need salespeople, you should have experience hiring salespeople, not industry specific people. Sales skills can be transferred from one industry to another with some additional training.

Advertising has limited impact. Always use display ads, not classifieds. Make a clear point about the culture of your office. Sell them on why you have a great place for them to work. Use the online vehicles like LinkedIn for out-of-state help. And remember the radio! It can be very effective.

Your association, including alumni, can be most helpful. Some local branches of various associations will have website resume posting services and networking opportunities.