Hiring an “A” Employee and What it Means to Your Business

Hiring managers understand that the value of an “A” employee, someone who brings their best game every day and elevates the level of those around them, can do a tremendous amount to boost the likelihood of reaching team and corporate goals.  However, when it comes to finding and hiring the person for the next open position, it can feel like a game of dice when trying to identify that next great talent. 
 
Finding top employees is actually harder now that the economy is slow.  Now there is an onslaught of general candidates, both laid off workers as well as employees that are concerned about the stability of their current positions.  Trying to sort through and identify the best candidates is not only difficult, it’s time consuming and expensive.  You will have to interview and qualify more candidates, spend more time on the total process and ultimately be uncertain if your hire is truly that needle in a haystack you were looking for.  
 
This primarily stems from a need to be reactive. As a hiring manager, you typically don’t have the time to actively seek, qualify and maintain a database of the top passive talent when you don’t have an immediate need.  But what if you could?  The impact of being able to quickly fill an open position with an “A” employee can make a big impact on your business. 
 
Consider this - It’s now well known that the idea for the iPod didn’t come from a management team at Apple, but rather an independent contractor, Tony Fadell, who brought the idea to Apple management and was hired to develop the product that resurrected Apple.
 
Other examples include Dennis Carter, the Director of Marketing with Intel who created the Intel Inside campaign that elevated Intel to one of the top most recognized brands in the world.  Omid Kordestani saved Google from becoming just a growing search engine without a sustainable revenue model and turned it into an advertising giant. At Starbucks, Howard Schultz brought espresso beverages to the company and developed the café concept that positioned the company to become the largest coffeehouse company in the world.
 
The point being – great employees make great companies.  These “A” players are now part of an elite crowd that many companies, in hindsight,  would be now be willing to do almost anything to get.  The best part is these employees would have been relatively easy to find, if you knew how to look for them. 
 
So is your organization positioned to find and hire “A” talent?  Here is a checklist of items that will increase your likelihood:
 
1.  Actively search for the top talent.  Don’t wait for the best “A” player to browse your position posting.  Augment your resume submissions from active candidates with the resumes of passive candidates that you have sought out.  
 
2.  Build a network of top talent. “A” players typically associate with other “A” players and the leaders in their field.  If it’s not possible to build a database of top talent and maintain those relationships, hire professionals that are constantly developing a “long line” of talent in your area of need without waiting for a requisition.
 
3.  Look beyond the rigid criteria of most job posting requirements, such as years of experience.  Qualify candidates based on the ideas and greater vision they can bring to the organization.
 
4.  Offer an environment that allows top talent to grow quickly and contribute directly to the organization.  Top talent can be hired with the right promises, but they can only be kept if they are given the opportunity to flourish.
 
It’s hard to know if your success will hinge on the next great hire, but if you follow these steps you are more likely to get talent in those key positions that can make the difference between good and great.  Fortunately, you don’t have to do all of this on your own.  You can boost your own efforts in these areas by developing a relationship with a top search firm.  As with any partnership, you will get the best results when you allow them to understand your business and culture.  Share more information than just what is found on a requisition.  If your partner understands your ultimate goals you will increase the odds of finding that “A” talent that fits your business and will thrive in your environment.  As a hiring manager, you already know what’s at stake and the type of dividends this will pay.
 
By Greg Hopkins, CEO Partner Professional Staffing