HireBetter Blog

How to Attract (and Engage) Digital Talent

March 13th, 2012 | by | employee relations, hirebetter, job descriptions, management, technology

Mar
13

As I interact with top digital professionals and forward-thinking individuals at SXSW Interactive 2012, I keep hearing one thing, over and over again: “It’s all about telling a story.”

The art of storytelling

Yes, “storytelling” is clearly the buzzword of this year’s conference.  Though many buzzwords are fluffy, overused, and destined to get on our nerves, they often come with a little bit of truth attached to them.  Indeed, as I think about what hiring managers and executives need to embrace to be competitive in the talent game, this idea of storytelling just fits all too well.

 

Innovators don’t want to stand still

If you want to attract the best, most innovative minds, you have to show them how their work at your company will enrich their careers and their lives.  Also, they need to know that their role at your company will be intellectually and professionally stimulating and allow them to grow.  If a prospective (or current) high-performer doesn’t understand their career trajectory and have a good idea of what their time with you will be like, don’t be surprised with you see them take a job with someone else.

 

Questions that job-seekers want answered:

  • How will this position help me grow?
  • Where will I be a year or two from now if I work for this company?
  • How will this job change my life, both short and long-term?
  • Will I be surrounded with other people who will challenge and inspire me to succeed?
  • (And this last one is less related to storytelling, but it’s just something I’ve heard over and over and over again this week and would be remiss to leave out.)  Will I be expected to move into a management position?

 

On that last point… 

In regard to that last point above…I’ve come across quite a few very smart people who have left jobs because they were promoted into management and therefore taken off of “the front lines.”  For some, this is a career goal and a great honor.  For others, this is an obligation that they will accept (because “it’s the right thing to do”) and be miserable doing.  Make sure you are upfront with management expectations and trajectories from the very beginning, or you may promote someone right to their level of incompetence.

Be sure that you paint an enticing career story if you hope to attract and engage top digital talent, because if you don’t, someone else will.

 

Image used under Creative Commons license via brody4.

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How To Become A “Recovering Job Description Writer”

December 8th, 2011 | by | hirebetter, hiring, human resources, job descriptions, recruiting, talent, videos

Dec
08

Jonathan Davis, HireBetter’s founder, considers himself a recovering job description writer.  And in this video, he explains why and how you can become one too.

Traditionally, to write a job description, you probably piece together attributes that you’d like in a new hire.  You start from the beginning and work forward.

 

Start at the end to know where you should be

But what we do, and what we encourage our clients to do, is start at the end.  Determine what this person should accomplish in their first 90 days, six months, or year on the job.  Now, when you look at your candidates, ask yourself whether they’ll deliver the success that you’ve just described.

This lets you be able to look at their background and determine if they have the skills to be able to do that, rather than them trying to convince you that they have the attributes that you asked for.

 

What kind of employee do you really want to hire?

No one really wants to just hire a “go-getter” or a “real closer,” you want someone who can successfully achieve specific results for your company.  So find out what “success” means in your role, and your accuracy will go way up.

 

For more, take a look at HireBetter’s YouTube Channel, and stay tuned to the HireBetter Blog for more information on how to attract, recruit, manage, and retain top talent. 

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The Three Huge Hiring Mistakes You Didn’t Know You Make

October 21st, 2011 | by | hirebetter, hiring, human resources, job descriptions, recruiting, talent

Oct
21

Every company can improve their hiring in some way.  And given how important successful hiring is, it’s scary to think that two-thirds of companies continue to make bad hires.  Here are three key hiring mistakes many companies make when hiring a new employee.  Are you making any of them?

 

Mistake number one: You pass off hiring duties to the wrong people       

You wouldn’t let an office manager design a factory or a chemist balance your budget.  You leave those jobs up to the experts.  But when it comes to hiring, many companies let just about anyone take charge of a hiring task. Building a great workforce is too important to leave in untrained hands, so make sure that only skilled talent experts run your search.

 

Mistake number two: You improperly define roles

The second big mistake is just as dangerous.  Maybe you are hiring good people, but the job just doesn’t match up with their skillset.  Or you’re settling because you can’t imagine what an ideal candidate even looks like.  If you can’t properly define a role and come up with an actionable plan to fill it, you’re doomed from the start.

 

Mistake number three:  You insufficiently assess the person you hire

When you make a hire, you’re not just bringing a collection of skills and experience onboard, you’re teaming up with a person.  Many companies get into trouble because they only look at easy to compare, conventional metrics and then hire the person who interviews the best.  You have to know how to thoroughly assess a candidate to get a good idea of who they truly are, and that’s not easy to do!  Very few know how to vet a candidate like that.

 

Bad hirers: There’s hope!

Luckily, these three mistakes are very curable.  HireBetter is committed to delivering the systems and expertise companies need to confidently make great hiring decisions.  We work with companies to define exactly what role they need to fill, determine what that ideal candidate looks like, and then deliver the very best candidates to you.  If you’re ready to start making great hires, contact us, and see how we can help you HireBetter.

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Defining The Role: What Does “Top Talent” Mean For You?

September 20th, 2011 | by | hiring, human resources, job descriptions, management, talent

Sep
20

Since you now know how you shouldn’t start your hiring process, how do you do it correctly?  Hiring a great employee deserves a coherent plan like any other aspect of business. After all, good employees will be with your company longer than most of your business endeavors.  You absolutely have to correctly define the role for which you’re hiring if you hope to get the right person for your company.

Where are you trying to go?

It’s much easier to get where you want to go if you have some idea where “there” is.  Don’t start at the beginning and try to piece together an ideal employee, instead, start in the future.  What do you want your new hire to accomplish in their first year?  In their first ninety days?  Start there and work back until you can pinpoint what type of person you need.

 

A collaborative process

Get “down in the trenches” and consult the people who will work with your new hire on a daily basis, especially their future direct superior.   Find out what qualities they seek in a coworker.  And determine what skills are really required for your new hire to attain success.

 

Build your map, and follow it

With the new information you now have, make a written sketch of what an ideal hire will look like. Only after you’ve considered what a successful hire would do should you craft a job description and start looking for candidates. That way, you’ll know when you’ve found the right person.

You can’t see the future, but you can have a good idea 

It’s impossible to know exactly what you’ll want/need a year from now, so realize that planning from the future is imperfect.  That being said, you have a much better shot at a great hire if you have an idea of what the right hire will entail.  Get started on the right foot and you’ll recruit the talent that will get you where you want to go.

 

Image used under Creative Commons from calsidyrose.

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