http://www.ere.net/2012/04/18/are-you-hiring-deciders-or-drifters/

Thanks ere for this article. It just qualifies a few of the characteristics that I think truly shine in the most talented individuals within my current and past organizations.

In a time where many organizations are changing-some organizations are losing talented, valued employees to competitors and others are growing and recruiting round the clock, I think it is very important to establish what behaviors are ‘non-negotiables’  in during the initial interview process to better identify who is moving on to join your qualified applicant pool. I have had the misfortune of working inside organizations who hired on a recruiting rampage and did not take the time to ask the right behavioral questions during the first and second round of interviews and hired someone that eventually became a poor performer.

In Nick’s article, he refers to top talent as “Deciders” and those poor to mediocre performers as drifters. I particularly liked that Nick defines four behaviors that make the Deciders  so much more desirable as your future employees:

• Self-efficacy: People who believe they can overcome challenges are more successful in virtually every sphere of life including work.
• Internal focus of control: Does this employee take control of his work, or does he always point to outside circumstances when his projects go astray?
• Confidence, not narcissism: There is an important difference between having a high self-evaluation and being a narcissist. Does the employee pitch in when teammates need help, or badmouth co-workers they view as a threat? Are they receptive or defensive when you receive feedback?
• Emotional stability: Employees who aren’t easily discouraged are less likely to succumb to stress and burnout.

Because the economy is on the uptick, your top talent now have more options in regards to staying at your organization, or looking for something new. While succession planning and employee retention are an entirely different blog post, it’s time to start making the best decision in regards to hiring. If you are not already doing so, make sure that you are partnering with your hiring managers and addressing these points of interest:

What are our overall hiring objectives?

Are we hiring to replace employees that have left or are we hiring because we are growing?

Are we making hiring decisions and extending offers out of desperation?

What are we doing to attract top talent? (Is our compensation package attractive? Are we providing salaries that are close to, if not higher than, market value?)

What is our company doing to stay competitive within our industry and how do we relay that to our interview candidate pool?

Times are changing! The economy is improving. Talented people are leaving for more challenging opportunities, better pay and the company culture they think they will best fit in with. What are you doing to guarantee that you are attracting top talent for your organization?