In the current age, when we don’t know the answer to a question, we tend to turn to our good friend Google for the answer. In 2011 alone, Google performed a total of 1,722,071,000,000 searches – that’s an average of 4,717,000,000 searches per day! Needless to say, Google will be there to provide you with an answer to your question, but none of those 1,722,071,000,000 queries will tell you which candidate is the best fit for YOUR company. In fact, it might even provide an answer that is completely opposite of what you are desperately hoping to hear. Therefore, consider these three points when making important executive business decisions.

1. The most experienced candidate should get the job.
Some of the most important decisions made in an organization involve hiring new employees. Without a superior workforce, your efficiency and productivity will suffer. Therefore, recruiters must provide hiring managers with the best candidates for the position, every time.  But, what happens when your hiring managers don’t know who to hire?

A recent Fast Company article entitled “8 Rules For Creating a Passionate Workforce”, mentions that one must hire for passion and commitment first, experience second, and credentials third. To be honest, I was surprised to see experience second; however, candidates who are passionate and driven are more likely to thrive in your work environment than those who have prior experience but lack the necessary dedication.  Ultimately, looking for individuals that fit in with your corporate culture is just as important as finding someone with the technical skill set.

Remember: If the candidate looks good on paper, confirm he/she can also exemplify the necessary qualities to succeed and fit in with your organization!

2.Sourcing specialists must be proactive to find quality talent.
Because recruiters can leverage applicant tracking systems to collect job applications and communicate with candidates, they often have been seen as reactive to the candidate’s job request. But, what happens when there aren’t enough candidates that apply to your company?

Now, more so than ever, recruiters and sourcing specialists are constantly searching for qualified candidates on job boards and social networks. By using a sourcing system HR departments can leverage internal operations to create a talent community for enhanced candidate engagement. What this really boils down to is the ability to capture a person’s information without requiring an application to be submitted. The visitor (with a click of a button) can simply show interest into  employment opportunities, while simultaneously adding themselves into a greater pool of candidates on the back end for recruiters and sourcing specialists to access. By creating this talent community, a reactive process is formulated allowing sourcing specialists to communicate with just about anyone that shows interest.

Remember: You just can’t communicate with the candidates you don’t have!

3.    Turnover rate is a large factor when measuring the effectiveness of your HR program.
Many will agree that a company’s biggest asset is its people. If you hire good people, sell a good product, and back it with quality support, your company will undoubtedly succeed. But what happens if you don’t hire good people?

Some might assume that a high turnover indicates an ineffective HR program, but companies shouldn’t worry about these raw figures. Sometimes, high turnover could be seen as a positive entity. To shed some light, if a company loses 10 people because they weren’t fulfilling their job responsibilities and/or had trouble meeting expectations, is the company really concerned about their turnover? If HR can replace those 10 newly open positions with stellar recruits, one might argue that the turnover rate really does not matter. Think about it like this, would you really lose sleep knowing you lost 10 of your worst employees? In the interim, efficiency might slow a bit, but once the team is reinforced with new bodies, a successful onboarding program will get new recruits hired and ready to start in no time! Check out the eHow article “How to Calculate Turnover”for suggestions on what might be most important for your reports.

Remember: Discuss your turnover rate with upper management. Find out how these metrics will be used and what the end goal is for your company.

Now, don’t be afraid to do your own research on how to equip your organization for the next hiring wave. But remember, keep it specific and aligned with your company’s mission, vision, and values. If you follow these guidelines, you’ll be celebrating your recruitment success in no time!