When I wrote “Always Be Looking for Stars” I was deeply committed to sharing the message of defining and utilizing a consistent, rigorous recruiting process. As I’ve gained feedback on the book it made me realize that people may interpret the title to mean only hire rock stars. The intended message was not, only hire Rock Stars. The title could have been, hiring the right fit for your business. A rock star in one company will not be the exact same in another company.
You might be asking about the value of having a recruiting process when there are 17.5 million new applications for unemployment filed last week. It would be a fair question. There are also multiple companies that are hiring at a breakneck pace right now. Not to the same level as the unemployment level, but still they are hiring. Making a mistake hiring now is just as painful as it was two months ago, and it will be just as painful when we all go back to working in the new normal. It’s still a critical process and it is helpful to be consistent, and rigorous. The way we recruit may change, but our discipline around who we hire, how we hire must not.
This past week I have started to think about what might change in the future as we do go back to work. What are the policies and procedures that will change? What new opportunities will present themselves? How will our lives change? I’m not looking to be opportunistic and hit on a fad. I’m more interested in what trends will show up. Will salespeople work as they have pre-virus? Will managers and leadership change their practices? How will customers respond? Will they still see salespeople? Will people ever shake hands or hug each other again?
What trends do you see for the future? I’m curious about what you see. Please share your thoughts.