Help Wanted: Looking For Great Employees

There's been quite a bit of attention in the news last week and over the weekend paid to the way employers treat unemployed people looking for work. One recent news story went so far as to begin with a headline: Looking For Work? Unemployed Need Not Apply. Undoubtedly some companies will continue to look at unemployed people with less favor. However, the best companies look for the best people wherever they can find them. And now, with significant numbers of great employees being laid off from faltering and failing companies, it's time to review our recruiting and hiring processes to ensure that we are finding these great prospective new employees. Here are a few things to consider - and this isn't an exhaustive list by any means.

1. How easy is it for someone to apply for work at your business when you have an opening?
2. How easy can someone apply when you don't have any openings? And are you open to the idea of hiring a superstar if they came knocking on your door even if you weren't looking for them?
3. If you use an online application process be sure to periodically review the filters you may have in place. Are you unnecessarily filtering out good people? Are your filters based on sound logic or dated assumptions?
4. Is everyone involved in the recruiting and hiring processes on the same page? Have they had refresher training on best practices? This can be especially important if your company is like most and hasn't been hiring a lot over the past couple of years.

Here's wishing you the best in your recruiting and hiring efforts!