Disciplined Hiring Through a Patient Pre-Established Process

The hot labor market is stressing many leaders and their organizations like no other job cycle in the last 20 years. Despite the mounting pressure of filling an open role, organizations that remain true to their hiring standards will win in the long term. As tempting as it may be to cut corners and quickly fill a position, that short-term view will only feed into your organization’s vulnerability to the cycle of turnover and poor productivity.

This is especially true in business development roles where a bad hire typically costs an organization five times the new hire’s salary. In reading about Karsun Solutions' new headquarters and intention to increase their work force by almost a third, I had a reaction of mixed excitement and anxiety for them. Rapid growth like that is always a thrill but hiring that many people poses a substantial risk for rushing the hiring process.

While many of the jobs that Karsun is hiring for are very technical in nature, we always suggest a pre-established hiring criteria to our clients for sales roles. Below are some tips in this tough labor environment which can increase the odds of long-term growth and success.

• Proactively Source: A passive approach to sourcing candidates often means you’ll be selecting from a pool of people that are “just OK”. Many of the most successful hiring/recruiting managers have a bench list of potential candidates that are sought out proactively. Getting creative in finding talent includes a variety of activities like secret shopping to see potential talent in action or actively participating in industry networking events to build a pool of potential candidates.
• Standardize the Interview Process: Have a standard interview format that can be used during the process which will help in comparing candidates more efficiently and accurately.
• Back-up Plan: During the selection process on time-sensitive critical roles, maintain relationships with second- and third-choice applicants. Keep in communication with them on the position’s status and ensure they know exactly when they may hear back from you. This way, if your first choice turns you down, you’ll have other individuals who are options to make an offer.
• Stay True to Your Standards: It’s imperative that you avoid the urge of cutting out a step or two to get to a quicker offer in hopes of filling an opening sooner. Eliminating crucial steps in the process like background checks or behavioral assessments creates voids of valuable information which will often lead to mediocre productivity within the talent pool of your organization.

As the battle for talent continues to escalate, it’s the organization who is willing to work harder at finding talent that succeeds. Don’t simply accept your fate of being captive to a tight labor market by thinking, “This is the best we can get.” Great talent is out there, yet it rarely finds you on its own. It’s not time to simplify your process to accommodate the tight labor market. More so, it’s time to get aggressive and review your approach to talent acquisition which will help you determine if you are positioned to win in this labor market. These organizations will increase their odds of success both in terms of winning the talent war now and building a highly successful business for years to come.