In 2008 I self-published a book I wrote on a repeatable, consistent process for recruiting and interviewing. I called it “Total Assessment, 10 Steps to Smart Recruiting”. Two months after I published it, the financial crisis crashed the economy, and nobody was hiring anyone.
Last year I wrote a fable about how to select the right people and published it in January of this year with Indie Publishing. “Always be Looking for Stars” is a more colorful and entertaining look at a consistent, repeatable process for finding, interviewing, and selecting the best fit for a company. In March, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the ensuing “shelter in place” tanked the economy and has led to nearly 20% unemployment.
For those of you that enjoy sports, you know there are superstitions associated with every sport. In baseball you never want to step on the foul line. I once wore the same socks for every game of a ten-game winning streak. There really isn’t a logical explanation for the superstitions, but as long as we are winning…
Twice I’ve written books on finding talent. I don’t recruit for my clients, but I help them be consistent in their process of finding talent, interviewing talent, hiring, and developing talent. I have a passion for connecting the right people with the right company.
I was sharing with a friend, my superstition that every time I write about this specific subject, the universe slam dunks the need to hire. While she saw the humor, she made an excellent point. As the economy opens again, there will be a need for hiring again, and it will be more critical than ever to hire the best fit for the company. As business grows, we will need to do so with fewer resources. The people you hire will need to be productive and committed.
We all have experienced the pain of layoffs and furloughs as a person who has had to make those decisions, the individual who has be laid off, or the survivors of the organization who has had to make those cuts. While the circumstances may be different, the pain of a missed hire is just as real. It gives even more credence to being process driven in your hiring efforts.
I shared with my friend that I should write a book on how to perform layoffs, and furloughs. That way the universe would shift to fierce hiring. I still have superstitions, even though my athletic endeavors are much less competitive. I enjoy writing but I’ve shelved that specific project. I’d rather focus on the positive view of helping my clients to grow again.