Book Review: Little guy can win in battle for talent
"Recruit or Die - How Any Business Can Beat The Big Guys In The War For Young Talent" by Chris Resto, IanYbarra and Ramit Sethi, Portfolio, $24.95. Smaller businesses must get over their inferiority complexes to attract top talent. They think they can't; so many don't even try.
Smart thinking: Start before graduation. A competitive internship program is one way to level the recruiting field with large companies. Emphasize "competitive" to the applicants to create "buzz". Have your company's stars, not HR, tell them about the projects on which they'll be working. The projects have to be important to pique recruits' interest. Project importance also gives you the opportunity to weave in how the company does business. Bring along recent hires to tell applicants what it's like to work for the company, too. If your internship program delivers what it promised, eager seniors should be ready to sign on upon graduation.
Large companies create an elite recruiting image: They interview many, but only hire a few. Smaller companies can create the same image. They only think that they have a harder sell because they don't offer as many opportunities as the large firms. The flip side of that coin: The opportunities they do have allow the graduates to get deep experience fast because they're involved quickly in all phases of projects.
Potential new hires also want to know how you develop talent. Mentoring is an essential part of a smaller firm's recruiting toolkit. A formal training program that exposes them to various aspects of the organization and levels of management helps, too.
You also need to stay in touch with candidates outside of the formal interview process. It's not a corporate-propaganda thing (although you can use every opportunity to provide company updates); it's a getting-to-know-them thing. It's still an interview process; you have to find out if they fit.
One of the toughest sells you may encounter may be your location. Most graduates gravitate to cool cities where they can "play hard" after they "work hard". Have the young people in your organization heavily involved in selling the "cool" aspect. The graduates will relate to them - not to the person with the spouse and two kids.
There are loads of how-to-reach tips covering career development departments, academic departments, working career fairs and direct student contact.
"Make The Right Choice -Creating a Positive, Innovative and Productive Work Life" by Joel Zeff, John Wiley & Sons, $21.95. Given you like your job content, you only need two things to be successful and motivated at work: opportunity and positive support. Opportunity means different things to different people: career growth, explore their creativity, raises, learning, etc. Positive support simply means having your good work recognized by your manager and your peers.
Look around your workplace. How many of your coworkers are unhappy campers? Mr. Zeff calls them "Bye-Bye people" - those that come to work mentally disengaged. They whine about their jobs; they don't care about the company.
If you are one of them and want to change, remember these 10 words: "If it is to be, it is up to me." Make your own opportunity. Demonstrate that you care; take ownership of your job. Ask your boss to be involved in projects. Point out how your talent could be put to use in a given area. Volunteer for the junk jobs no one else wants to tackle.
On the positive support side, quit whining. Compliment your coworkers. Say "Thank You" when they help you.
Change your attitude and say bye-bye to unhappy work days.