In a tight job market, how can employers hire and retain the best talent? Author Clint Smith, founder and CEO of CareerPlug, has an answer: Put employees first.
Smith’s company develops applicant tracking systems that help companies hire faster and better. His book relates how he learned to hire, and shares both triumphs and challenges related to building a strong team.
For Smith, hiring effectively means finding the people who best fit your culture. Culture starts with leadership and the values it reflects. Values, writes Smith, aren’t what leaders say they are – but how leaders act and respond to employees day-to-day. He recommends that companies begin by writing down their missions and visions, and the critical values that drive them.
Smith counsels employers to put themselves in the shoes of prospective hires. Often candidates look at a company’s “Careers” webpage. He suggests companies use these pages to sell prospective hires on working there, while being realistic about the job’s advantages and disadvantages.
The author provides many specifics on hiring. For example, he advises companies to create both a present and future organizational chart to guide managers in hiring not only for today’s company but for tomorrow’s, as well. He also has a downloadable template for an Ideal Candidate Profile that helps hiring managers identify “the key function for the role” in question “and the qualifications for a top performer.” Smith discusses how to read a resume, pre-screen applicants, and interview them to determine three things: their ability, motivation and culture fit. To retain employees, he urges companies to put hires and their growth first.
Smith’s writing has a warm, personal tone. Concise and occasionally funny, often at his own expense, he comes across as the boss you’d want to work for, someone invested in you and your potential. Business leaders, entrepreneurs, and hiring managers will find a wealth of practical wisdom—and just the right blend of general principles and actionable practices—in these pages.
