A very smart friend who runs his own management assessment firm is in the process of figuring out his next steps after a well earned sabbatical. He’s trying to address challenges that businesses have in recruiting and matching their needs with the available candidate pool.
Date before you marry.
Recruiting is a never ending process. Everyone you meet could potentially be a colleague at some point.
Early on, when we were building the international presence for Elmarco we posted several position descriptions and interviewed many candidates. We were overwhelmed with the response – we could have built a team of 50 where we only had spots for 2 – 3 at the time. Many of those interviews led to great relationships, both suppliers, vendors and customers.
When we do have a position open, it pays to take your time.
Finding ways to engage with people that is respectful of their current position but allows everyone to talk further about what the position entails is really important. I’ve read many times of other companies with emerging technologies doing ‘stealth recruiting’ of high value prospects that show up out of the blue. I would struggle with that.
It’s absolutely essential to respect any legal, NDA, or other constraints that might exist between you and a recruit. However, it is also important to figure out ways to work together to confirm that there is a fit.
This is a strategy I’ve followed not just bringing people on, but in working with potential partners / employers. This has been fortunate. It is through those casual interactions over a long time that you can really understand the ethics and potential of the new relationship.
