‘Tis the season, deck the halls, and welcome to 2009. If you’re like me, you’re contemplating your list of resolutions for the coming year. I’d like to get to the gym more often, eat healthier foods, and spend more time with the family - and I will - but this year I’m padding my list with these five hiring-related resolutions that will improve my business and, most importantly, my bottom line.
1. I resolve to start recruiting now. This year, I’m not waiting until I have an open position to begin looking for talent. I’m starting on January 1st. Given the softness in the labor market, top talent abounds. The very best resources are still employed, but I know that they’re a heckuva lot easier to lure away from their employers, particularly if I have a more stable environment. Certainty sells!
2. I resolve to stay true to my workforce plan. My operating budget is set for 2009 (yours is, too, right?), so I know the exact range of new hires that my company needs to make in 2009. Because of that, I have a workforce plan that tells me how many candidates that my teams will need to recruit, each and every month, and I therefore know the financial resources it will take to meet my workforce plan. No matter how tempted I am to hold off, I refuse to get burned by a lack of recruiting activity that I knew I needed but decided against.
3. I resolve to do my own reference checks. When I do my own candidate reference checks, my quality of hire increases exponentially. When I turn reference checks over to HR, then my quality of hire decreases. I can tell when a candidate’s former manager is hesitant to recommend the candidate, even when they tell me otherwise. No matter how busy I think I am, I’m not going to be too busy to conduct these reference checks myself.
4. I resolve to say ‘no’ more often. No more “on-the-bubble” candidates who “might” be a good fit. No more hiring people I know I should have declined, but hired anyway because I was resource-constrained. It’s worth it to go without an A-player in the role, rather than hire a B-player who will take up an inordinate amount of my managers’ time.
5. I resolve to be tough on poor performers. I don’t care how much I might like someone - if they’re not working to my expectations, then I’m wasting my money keeping them on the team. I’m also creating frustration for my top performers, who view working with B-players as a drag on their productivity and who may begin to think that I don’t have the management skills to lead them forward in their careers. I’m using the 30-60-90 Day Plan process to get people up or get people out.
So, there you have it: my five hiring resolutions for the New Year. Best wishes to you and your family for a healthy and prosperous 2009!
