Acquiring Top Talent

Hiring elite talent is essential for businesses that aspire to be the best. In fact, acquiring elite talent is arguably the most important endeavor for any successful business. After all, nothing will determine your company’s ultimate success more than the talents of your employees.  

So how do you acquire this talent? Here are five hiring tactics to help take your business to the next level:

1. Always Be Recruiting.
   Your company should always be in “recruiting mode.” Even if your company or division does not have any current openings, leaders should always be on the lookout for top talent. Circumstances can change very quickly in business. New opportunities arise. Key employees depart. Things change, and when these changes result in the need for a critical new hire, you do not want to be starting from scratch. You already want to have a list of talented people who might be a great addition to your team.

   Ideally, you not only have a list, but for each critical position, you want to have established some type of relationship with the individuals on the list, even if you are mere acquaintances. Recruiting is a long game. It is much easier to recruit someone to your team with whom you have had casual conversations for months or years than with someone who is a complete stranger.

2. Sell The Firm.
   When recruiting the best, it is vital to remember you are a seller in this potential transaction.  Yes, you are a buyer as well, and certainly you should not hire anyone unless she meets your requirements, and you are convinced she will be a positive addition.  However, you should remember that this candidate is probably in a good position currently and likely has other good options which she can consider.  Accordingly, your firm needs to sell itself to the candidate.  What are the reasons this candidate should consider a move to your firm?  How does she benefit?  How can the firm enhance her career? Sell her on the opportunity the firm presents.

   A common mistake some businesses make, especially prestigious businesses, is they believe their firm is so prominent, and has such a lofty reputation, that any candidate would be lucky to work there. They believe their firm sells itself, and they do not need to sell talented candidates on the attributes of the firm. In reality, there are very few businesses that are so superior to the competition that their firms sell themselves. A much better, and less arrogant, approach is to actively sell top talent on joining your company. Remember, she will want to hear WIIFM – What’s In It For Me? This is her concern and is the perspective that matters when it comes to landing top talent.

3. Keep It Moving. 
   There are numerous steps in the hiring process, and each one is important.  With busy professionals on both sides (the hiring firm and the candidate), it is common for the process to drag on for months and months.  That is sometimes unavoidable and is not necessarily problematic.  What is problematic, and will severely hinder a company’s hiring efforts, are excessive delays for no apparent reason coupled by a lack of communication with the candidate.  As a typical example, let’s say a firm has met with a promising candidate, and the meeting went well for both parties.  The firm should communicate with the candidate within a few days of that meeting to provide general feedback, at a minimum.  When firms go one week, two weeks, even three weeks with no feedback and no real communication at all because “everyone is busy,” it sends a message to the candidate that he is not important.  Before long, believing the firm is not interested in him, he withdraws from the process, and the firm has lost out on a candidate of genuine interest to them.  And this was all because of unnecessary delays and a lack of communication.

   It is important to distinguish between keeping the process moving in a timely manner and rushing the hiring process. The former is essential to successful talent acquisition, and the latter is a mistake. Businesses should never rush their hiring process. Due diligence is critical, and making the right hiring decision takes time. However, the steps in the process should never be needlessly delayed. The overall process will take a while, and it should. But each step in the process should occur in a timely manner, and if delays happen, and they will on occasion, open communication with the candidate is critical.

4. Have Leadership Involved.
   A common characteristic of firms that are highly successful in acquiring the best talent is having leadership actively involved in the process.  When candidates spend time with company leadership, it sends a message that they are a priority to the company.  This is very impactful to prospective employees.  Even if leadership only spends a few minutes with a candidate, those few minutes can make all of the difference in whether or not the company successfully hires the candidate. Leadership matters, and leadership that emphasizes the importance of talent acquisition will always outperform others when it comes to successful hiring.
5. Tell Success Stories.
   A highly effective tactic for recruiting talent is to share success stories with top candidates. It is one thing for a recruiter or hiring manager to tell a candidate all of the remarkable things about the firm. It is another thing entirely for the candidate to hear it from prospective peers. If one or two of your employees, especially ones who are in a comparable position to the candidate, can tell the candidate directly how your firm has improved their careers, and how much they enjoy working at your firm, it can be incredibly persuasive. Sometimes it can be the very thing that seals the deal for the candidate.

   Successful hiring is one of the most important functions for any business. Your business is absolutely dependent on the talent of your workforce. Taking your company to the next level will require bringing on the best possible talent. To accomplish this, there are numerous strategies and tactics which can be utilized.

Start with the tactics listed above. Always be recruiting. Maintain an active roster of the best prospective candidates. When you have a top candidate in the interview process, you must sell your firm to her. Recruiting is selling. Also, when someone is in process to possibly join your business, keep the process moving. Nothing kills enthusiasm and hiring success more than unnecessary delays coupled with a lack of communication. Also, get leadership involved. It makes a big difference. Finally, make sure the desired candidate hears success stories. Real life success stories, especially from someone who is similarly situated, can be extremely persuasive.

Follow these tips, and let your acquired talent take your business to even greater heights.

Written by Richard Brock.
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