subject: The Secret to Recruiting: Keep Your Engine Tuned! [print this page] The Secret to Recruiting: Keep Your Engine Tuned!
The experience of having to replace a key employee is one many business owners share. You may have conducted your search in-house, hired a consultant, or employed the services of a placement agency.
Finding good people is always a challenging, in any case. While labor market conditions may vary, one time honored rule of recruiting will guide you to top candidates regardless of the hiring environment.
Keeping your engine tuned and ready is the secret to recruiting success. Here are several tips to ensure you're ready to roll when the need arises!
1. Create a performance based job description for each position in your company. Be sure to update job-based responsibilities for employees as they progress in their positions. This performance description will aid you with job-specific information if a replacement strategy becomes necessary.
2. Decide on selection criteria before you need to make a selection. Establish education, certification requirements, necessary skill sets and compensation ranges for each position in your company. Again, documenting this information creates a valuable snapshot of job requirements for each position.
3. Establish a presence in your profession or industry. Make sure your company is a known entity. Attend industry events and participate in gatherings and seminars. Your industry-based organizations can be a valuable resource when looking for candidates with experience in your field.
4. Participate in job fairs and career days at community colleges and universities. Even if you don't have entry-level positions to fill, return each year with information about your company. Your goal is to educate a young work force about your company and why it's a great place to work.
5. Encourage employee referrals. When you need to begin a recruiting process, invite your employees to partner in the search. They may know of an individual who would be a good fit for the position you need to fill. The best and brightest people in your organization can be effective recruiters. They know your company, they know your business and they can share why they like working for you.
