CourageousHR | Recruiting Strategies

There are certain recruiting strategies given by the top-notched professionals that can help HR team to make hiring their top growth hack.

• Treat Great Applicants the same way you treat Great Customers

Great Applicants are as important as the great customers so treat them well. Work on your recruiting strategies as much as you work on your sales funnel and marketing. If you get a high quality lead, don't wait to accommodate him. Just do it right away! As Kate McMillen, Manager of Talent Acquisition & Programs at Infusionsoft says,

'Infusionsoft’s strategy for recruiting is similar to its customer strategy. We make our candidate experience similar to our customer experience. Our candidate formula is Engage, Inform, and Transform, much like our customer formula: Attract, Sell and Wow.'

• Calculate the potential return on investment of an employee

It is really important to calculate the ROI or potential return on investment to get an idea whether the ROI will be greater than the hiring cost. It is a commonly known fact that ROI for employees in the top third of their performance is 15 percent more than average. But if you want to hire the best employees then you will have to pay them well and treat them in the best possible way you can. Nevertheless, it's worth the cost, as J.T. O’Donnell, CEO of CAREEREALISM says,

‘The biggest mistakes I see start-ups making is hiring people without a clear sense of how their work will justify the cost of hiring them.

If you are hiring based on anticipated growth, you should be able to calculate the ROI on the person you are hiring. If you can't quantify how this person will definitely increase the earnings so their salary and benefits are covered, then you are just putting yourself in a negative cash flow situation.

Yes, employees need to be trained and require a ramp up period. But, if within that time you aren't able to then confirm the ROI is there, you shouldn't keep them on.

I have personally made this mistake in the past and it reinforced for me how important it is to A) only hire top performers, and B) only hire when you know the ROI is greater than the hiring cost.'

• Take Your Time

There is no need to rush while hiring an employee. Wait and take your time. Analyze what kind of employee will fit for this particular job and choose accordingly. There are many startups who are always in hurry. They don't prefer quality over quantity and end up hiring least effective employees.

So, relax, think, analyze and then take a decision as Debra Wheatman, President of Careers Done says,

‘Oftentimes, startup environments are running in overdrive and they don't put enough thought or effort into the type of role they need for the company.

It is easy to just hire a resource. However, the person needs to be able to add value in the organization. Especially when a company is small and growing it is important to bring in resources that can deliver the right value for the company in a timeframe that makes sense.

Hiring takes time.

While it shouldn’t take an inordinate amount of time (like months), it can take weeks. The job description, interview process and decision-making should be well planned and thoughtful to avoid making costly mistakes.''

Andrew Warner, Founder of the #1 rated startup podcast, Mixergy says,

'The biggest hiring mistake that I've made repeatedly is being too desperate. Desperation takes on many forms. Sometimes we think that the person in front of us is the greatest person ever. And we don't establish the right relationship with them from the beginning because we're just too eager to hire.'

How Your Strategy Can Attract the Best Cultural Fits

Best companies are always honest about what kind of candidates they want. For example on Infusionsoft’s careers page, it is written that “A word of warning: Infusionsoft isn’t for everyone.” Or Bonobos (super awesome) career page that lets you know, “Working here is very challenging.” These companies don't want to waste their time by choosing potentials through a pile of resumes full of people. They are very particular about what kinds of candidates they think can fit for a particular job.

Author Bio:

Ailsa Clover a teacher in a high school and also writes for Writing Services UK | EssayClick. She is a Master’s in English Literature and has been in the educational trade for the last 15 years!