Our firm has built companies for over three decades. The need to fill critical hires imperative to business success is a truism in any economic climate. The impact of hiring the right talent, in the right time frame, can have a ripple effect throughout the entire organization and affect the overall health of a business.
In a recent partnership with a young bay area client company, we were tasked with building and scaling a software and hardware driven platform involving hires across engineering, clinical, quality, operations, and manufacturing. The competition in the heart of Silicon Valley for this talent had never been tougher. To be successful, we had to rely on key rules of engagement to win this war on talent.
- Hiring is the number one priority. It is easy to say these words, yet harder to act. Hiring and interviewing must take precedence over everything else on individual’s calendars. The hiring team is aligned on this priority and committed to the hiring goal.
- Key stakeholders identified and assigned. The hiring team is chosen, and each assigned a part in the hiring process.
- Mandated and audited timeline for candidate review and feedback. When a candidate is presented for consideration, there is a 24-hour requirement for feedback. Required. Momentum is our greatest asset in attracting and landing top talent.
- Hiring team strategy. Everyone on the interview team understands what they will look for in the candidate. This allows a 30-minute interview to be more valuable than an hour of “tell me about yourself.”
- Start with Why. Each hiring team member should start the meeting describing why they enjoy what they do, why its meaningful, and why they value their team. This sets the tone for positive exchange in interview.
- Simplified interview process. Minimal “steps”, maximize time onsite and zoom/calls to allow for meeting key stakeholders.
- Set debrief meeting in advance. Within 24-hours after interviews conclude, have a debrief meeting scheduled with the hiring team. Upon decision, references are checked and offer extended within two days.
- Competitive offers and internal parity. Handicapping today’s hires by yesterday’s salary data can have you miss out on critical skill sets. We have seen specific technical roles jump by 20+ percent in some cases, and those companies who pass on talent lose the competitive edge.
- Hire for the problem you are looking to solve, and the individual that can solve it. Job descriptions can create tunnel vision. If we wait for someone walking in with 100% of prior experience, they often miss the ones with 80-90% and tremendous potential. If there is an understanding on both the candidate and client side on expectations, often the individual taking a new challenge on for the first time will over perform in order to get up to speed.
- Collaboration with partners. Our client embraced partnership with us and allowed us to become an extention of their representation in the marketplace. Through search and media, we created awareness and attention that had the industry’s best lean in and pay attention. Trust is deep that we are all operating in the best interest of the company’s success.
If an organization has a clear focus on hiring, with dedication to the process, strategy and plan for execution, you can create an experience for individuals that adds to your chances of landing the best players for your team.
IT Manager / CyberSecurity / Software Dev / IT Engineering Manager: Science, Engineering and Manufacturing
1yAs I read over your crafted paragraphs of design for this topic Holly, I had a flashback to my childhood, where my Scottish grandfather, was telling me a joke. A wealthy man has problems with navigation, he would easily get lost while driving. So he decided to hire a driver. He put an ad in the paper, asking would be hires to show up, high over a beach, near a cliff. Approaching all of the applicants; he explained that the right person would need to be an excellent navigator. He then pointed towards the cliff and asked: "How close can you get my car to that cliff?" They all walked up to the cliff and started studying it; they began having robust conversations about the weight of the car, what the ground was like near the cliff, and further in depth. He noticed one person walking away, "You Sir, where are going?", "I don't care what anyone says, I'm not going anywhere near that cliff". You're hired! People get lost in everyday life, they go off on tangents and completely forget the original idea of why they are, where they are. You have to have a sense of yourself, to be observant, to know what's worthy of your attention, to be able to pick your fights. Your words above speak of this, and of my time in America :}
Excellent point on advice. The days of low priority for Hirings are over. All stake holders & influencers must focus on gaps and participate in resolution/hiring. Way too easy to slouch back to the two deal killers: 1) If we delay the hire we save money; 2) Viewing a slow response time and 2-3 month process as acceptable...always worked in the past, right?