The best are rarely unemployed and if they are it is by choice. They can pick and choose between employers so you must remember that the recruitment process is as much about selling yourself as a prospective employer as it is about the prospective employee selling themselves to you.

Assuming that you have a robust recruitment process that allows you to recognize the best when you see them what will you do to convince them to choose you over other prospective employers?

To begin your company needs a public profile. The best will expect to be able to research your company on the Internet before they even bother to pick up the phone. If you don't have a website, start one. If you do have one and it has been developed with customers in mind expand it to make it interesting for prospective employees also. Don't limit this to an available jobs page or a list of benefits. Personalize it. Ask current employees to provide short anecdotes about what they enjoy about working for the company. This will demonstrate your values in a truly personal way. Put as much thought into making your company attractive to employees as you do your customers.

Next look at your interview process. Is it an interrogation process? The best will expect an interactive discussion where you are participants in a mutual assessment process to determine whether they are the right fit for your company and whether your company is the right fit for them.

When I arrived for my first interview with my current employer I got the biggest surprise of my life. Instead of being escorted by the receptionist into a room to face a panel of interviewers, the General Manager came out to greet me and then proceeded to suggest that we take a tour of the office. During the tour he introduced me to the people who would be my peers and the team I would lead. These people talked freely about their jobs, the company and even the General Manager's foibles.

How many times have you heard the old line "people are our greatest asset". Never have I seen this demonstrated with such impact. The interview then progressed along more traditional lines where the GM outlined what they needed in the position and I was required to demonstrate my competencies through the use of examples. Reference checks were undertaken and I received an offer the next day.

This General Manager's approach was a great example of what you need to do to hire the best. Know what the best is for your company so you can recognize it, then sell your company to them. Finally close the deal fast. The best are rarely in the market for long and he who hesitates is lost.

Learn more about this author, Marie Hurley.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about How to hire the best?
We want to hear your view. Write now!