By Catherine Lang-Cline
We have heard a lot of inspirational quotes for business to keep things moving. Quotes to remind us that we always need to be selling, always be prospecting, or the most famous quote from Blake in Glengarry Glen Ross, “A-B-C. Always Be Closing.” But what about always be hiring?
Very true that closing deals is the way to build profit in a business, but that starts with having a great team. Good people are hard to find so it is best done with a strategy and with an idea of what you need at all times.
It takes on average, 60-90 days to hire for a full-time position. How? For example, an employee that is leaving you is giving you two weeks’ notice. Even if you find a person fairly quickly, they typically give their past employer two weeks’ notice, want to take a little time off, and just that quickly your spot has been vacant for a month. In most cases the interview process includes:
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Posting the job
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Collecting the resumes
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Scheduling the interviews
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Completing reference checks and testing
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Oh, wait…you didn’t act fast enough and this one got away. Return to step #1…
The best way you can avoid this hiring frenzy is to always be looking for your next person. You know your culture, you know what it is that you do. Start collecting names of people that interest you. One of the things that we like to do for our customers is to send them people that we think would be a fit for them. They probably don’t have an opening now. But the next time an employee walks in and gives their 2-weeks notice, they will have those resumes ready and can cut weeks out of the hiring process. Especially since they were already picked as a fit for your company.
Another way to pre-vet people as a future employee is to work with them on a project now. Think of it as a “try-before-you-buy” scenario. The bonus part is, most people in advertising and marketing can work remotely so you won’t have to think about equipment or opening up a desk for them. (Through us, the workman’s comp and health benefits are covered.) The best part, if you work with them and love them, you have just made your hiring process shorter.
We would love to start a pipeline of people to you but I would also encourage you to collect names as you network. There have been people in our community that we have kept an eye on for a long time now. Just waiting… waiting for our opportunity to make them an offer for our clients or for us.
Here’s some bonus information, in a down economy, some of THE BEST talent is available RIGHT NOW and down economies don’t last forever. So let’s get ready for the future.
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Think about what are the typical positions you fill
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Think about NEW skills and a new direction your company could take
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Start the conversation with who could very well be your next dream employee
Want help or want to learn more about how to do this? Contact us!
