Most professional sports teams have scouts. These scouts are constantly on the lookout for talent. Most of the time these scouts are engaging potential talent long before they are ready for the big leagues. In fact, often long before they even need them.
The one thing that these teams and scouts know is that they will always need top talent if they want to win.
Who are your scouts? Are you engaging potential talent before you need them? Is this important for you to win?
Over the last few years I have asked hundreds of CEOs and key executives, “When do most companies start the hiring process?” Rarely do I hear anything other than, “When they need someone.” Then, how long does it take to hire a person? Most believe that can take between 2 and 4 months. At which point the hiring manager is so desperate that they are pretty much willing to take the proverbial, “Cream of the Crap.”
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hiring top talent, Interviewing, Retaining top talent, Sales, sourcing top talent
Hiring is one of those processes in many companies that is often ignored, until it is needed. My partner Barry Deutsch and I have spoken to hundreds of CEOs and key executives in the last three years, and there is a theme that most of these CEOs and key executives agree upon, which is, they don’t really have an effective, repeatable hiring process with highly competent people throughout the hiring process.
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hiring mistakes, hiring top talent, Management, Retaining top talent, Sourcing Talent, sourcing top talent
I asked a candidate after an interview, “How did the meeting go with the CEO?”
The candidate sarcastically replied, “Remind me again, why would I want to leave my current position and go to work there?”
Not exactly the sort of answer I was searching for.
He was what we refer to as a, “passive candidate.” Meaning, he wasn’t actively on the job market. He wasn’t in any hurry to make a job change. He was open to exploring opportunities and seriously evaluating them, but would only make a change if all aspects of the position were beneficial to him and his career. He had to have good chemistry with the CEO, understand the company’s vision, and his role in helping achieve the vision. Basically, he wasn’t going to just make a move.
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hiring mistakes, hiring top talent, passive candidates, Retaining top talent, sourcing top talent
