Lessons Learned Recruiting and Hiring Talent
Celebrating my 19th year in business, I wanted to share 5 Lessons I’ve learned in Recruiting & Hiring Talent. In my business experience, my resume has been very stable. I worked for a Fortune 500 company for 5 years and as a General Manager I managed teams up to 40 people, as an Area Manager I mentored and led other managers for 5 other business operations. In 2000, I started my career in Executive Recruiting, interviewed thousands of candidates, placing hundreds in a variety of positions and shortly after that I started my own recruiting firm. In 2002, I joined the North Carolina Association of Staffing Professionals, and helped grow that organization by recruiting several key directors for the board, members, vendors, etc. What was the key, my recruiting and leadership skills. In 2009, after co-founding a Digital Marketing Media Firm that is niche’d heavily in the business I came from, Executive Recruiting, Staffing, HR, RPO and Talent Acquisition these are some lessons I’ve learned in identifying, placing and hiring talent in all my endeavors.
1. Always run a background check on anyone you are going to work with, whether it’s an employee, a candidate you’re about to place, an investor, etc. You want to minimize your exposure to a potential disaster where that individual has a criminal past. Nothing can erode your reputation, your credibility faster than being associated with a criminal.
2. The Internet is a permanent marker. How you carry yourself online is an instant snapshot of your character. Don’t embellish your resume, work history, accomplishments, client portfolio, etc. It’s very easy to see when someone is an impostor or fake. Let your work and real results do the talking.
3. People want to be inspired by success in conjunction with humility. Personality is a big part of that but being an active listener only allows you to grow and be approachable.
4. Ask the right questions. Discovering people’s real value and work accomplishments can only be determined with excellent interviewing skills. If you dig deep enough, you will know if they are the right fit for your client or your organization.
5. Do what you say all of the time. If you promise someone a phone call, an email, always follow-through 100% of the time. If you are trying to secure talent, the process in which you communicate is a reflection of how they perceive you as a boss, a professional and that in turn extends to your brand. Over-promising and under-delivering is for amateurs.
