Attracting A-players

Candidates have choices, and the better the candidate, the more choices they have. Unless you understand and communicate why a candidate should choose you, you may lose out on the A-players. It falls heavily on leadership to tell your story and articulate what makes your organization better than the competition. Paying lip service to what you hope to be or used to be will not be convincing. Leaders need to let go of their egos, challenge their assumptions, and take a deep and honest dive into the reality of who you are as a company today. If you see roadblocks to attracting the best people, knock them down.

  • How do you currently go about discovering why candidates decline your offers? Or the reverse, what factors convinced them to accept your offer? What can you do to better understand why candidates make the choices they do? What processes can you put into place to change any negative factors or get more benefit from the positive ones?
  • Who in your organization is involved in evaluating your culture and policies to get a realistic perspective on how you are viewed internally and in the market? How involved is leadership in the process? How safe do your employees feel about responding honestly to the question, “What’s it like to work here?”
  • How does your process for attracting candidates compare with how you go about attracting customers? What can you learn from your sales team and apply to hiring practices?

Kathleen is an accomplished performer, business owner and leader. Find out more. about how she can help you attract and retain your most valuable asset – people.