Welcome to the next decade!
If you’re anything at all like most people, you’ve taken at least a few moments to think about your resolutions for the new year. Maybe you’re going to finally use that gym membership you’ve been paying $79.95 a month for (for the past three years), or perhaps you’ve resolved to stop [...]
Being from Chicago, where venturing outside during 7 out of every 12 months can give you hypothermia, it was a welcome relief this week to be in New Orleans for the Fortune Small Business Conference, where the weather has been fantastic. The focus was on sales and marketing, and several of the speakers honed in [...]
Companies that consistently produce top recruiting results never do so by accident. That these firms tend to outperform their industry peers is the end result of a journey that began with putting the right people in the right seats. How do the successful managers of these leading companies build high-performing teams? By staying true to these five recruiting habits:
They follow a defined process. There’s no shortcut when it comes to selecting the right person for the job. Managers who produce successful hire after successful hire do so because they follow a proven formula, including:
* Writing a well-defined Job Profile
* Using an effective Candidate Work History form
* Conducting a telephone interview
* Conducting an in-person work history interview, followed by an in-person behavioral interview
* Personally contacting each of the candidate’s references
* Using a Candidate Scorecard to make objective yes/no decisions
They’re always recruiting. I’ll say it another way - they don’t let recruiting become an exercise in crisis management. Highly successful hiring managers don’t wait until they have an open position to being recruiting. They’re constantly tapping their networks, asking colleagues for referrals and staying in touch with top prospects from their competitors’ payrolls. When their company wins the next big project, they’re not scrambling for new talent and settling for average performers due to a time constraint. Lack of preparation in recruiting leads to bad hires, and they’re always prepared with available talent.
They take the time to define the role. Without a Job Profile that explains, in detail, the specific, measurable outcomes required of the person filling the role, the recruiting process will produce erratic results. Successful hiring managers take the necessary time required to think through these outcomes, and to define them in quantifiable terms against which candidates can be evaluated. They never say to a recruiter, “I don’t really have a job description written, but you know what I’m looking for, right?”
They include others in the process. Successful hiring managers know that it takes a team to make a well-rounded, informed decision about a new hire. They ask other members of the organization to sit in on interviews as note-takers in order to get outside perspective. These managers know that two sets of eyes and ears are better than one, and they ask for and listen to feedback on their interviewing style and effectiveness.
They don’t talk themselves into saying yes. Most importantly, successful hiring managers don’t hesitate to pass on candidates who are anything less than an top performer. They’d rather go for months without a key position being filled than fill that position with someone who’s less than perfect - because they know that the time spent managing that bad hire will more than wipe out the benefits gained from having someone mediocre in the role. Successful managers look to the Candidate Scorecard and make emotionless decision rooted in facts.
Successful hiring managers follow these five habits to generate recruiting results that lead to high-performing teams. Focus on developing these habits, and watch your results begin to improve overnight.
Read any of the books-du-jour out there that discuss hiring practices, and you’re guaranteed to read a chapter on “The Cost of a Mis-Hire.” The general argument, according to these authors, is that the cost of making a bad hire isn’t simply the salary and benefits costs that were sunk into the new employee who [...]
Craigslist Syndrome (def) n. A time-sucking, emotionally draining, focus-killing condition that impacts small businesses; directly caused by posting job ads on Craigslist and subsequently receiving over 500 resumes within 24 hours, 10 of which are actually qualified for the job posted; also known as CLS.
Does your company suffer from Craigslist Syndrome? To self-diagnose this business-crippling [...]
Last week I moderated a panel event hosted by the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center and the Illinois Technology Association, and am here to confirm what a lot of people have been saying now for months: entrepreneurs will lead the country out of this recession.
While the macroeconomic picture in the United States isn’t exactly where we’d all [...]
[Author's note: This article is Part 4 of 4 in a series on hiring salespeople. In Part 1 and Part 2, we discussed why hiring salespeople is so difficult, and what to look for when reviewing a sales resume. In Part 3, we covered the proper approach to interviewing salespeople.]
You’ve finally identified a sales candidate that you’d like [...]
In Part 1 and Part 2, we discussed why hiring salespeople is so difficult, and what to look for when reviewing a sales resume. Here, I’ll share with you the “rubber meeting the road” part of the process - the interview.
Sales interviews are a challenge to run if you’re not sure what to ask. That’s why I recommend coming armed with [...]
In Part 1 of this series on hiring salespeople, we explored the various reasons why hiring salespeople is so difficult. Here, we’ll discuss some tips and tricks for properly reviewing the resume of a potential sales hire.
All managers have made a hiring mistake at one time or another. My experience in interviewing sales talent on [...]
Business managers, particularly entrepreneurs and small business owners, have a downright awful track record when it comes to hiring sales talent. When you hire the right sales resource, you see instant results and amazing things begin to happen. On the other hand, when you hire a mediocre (or worse) salesperson, you shell out paycheck after paycheck and begin to feel like you’re [...]