Recruiting has become an increasingly important topic in top organizations. The competition for talent has grown more precise and far more intense over the last few years as companies recognize their advancement and growth depends entirely on recruiting the people necessary to implement their plans.

How to find talented people, on the other hand, is a subject that is widely misunderstood, even among ostensibly experienced and capable executives. How does one find the right people? Once a company has access to the talent it needs, how do they bring them into the organization in a positive way?

The key to this process is to cultivate enthusiasm for the work and for management to demonstrate an ability to put people first.

Simplify

Any barrier management places between their revenue-generating business and the people you don't want to hire is also going to keep people you do want to hire out of your company. Think about it: Do you want to jump through hoops? Neither does your next star employee.

If the choice is between filling a room with candidates or filling a folding chair with one candidate, the obvious choice is to have as many people to choose from as possible. Even if you decide not to hire someone, it doesn't necessarily mean they won't be useful to you in two weeks, or two months.

Keep your initial pitch simple. Get people in the door first. Then your efforts will have a much greater chance of success.

Clarify

Right after "climb over obstacles" on the list of things your future employees don't want to do is "evaluate ambiguity." You want to be as clear as a bell regarding what you expect from your employees and what you are offering them in return.

The reason this is so vitally important is because your competition for that employee is likely spelling everything out in big block letters way in advance. They are probably making a higher salary offer too. Your company simply cannot afford to play games, especially if the person you are recruiting is going to be responsible for an important revenue-generating project.

Everything you do and say has to be honest and forthright, including the truth if you don't know. Clarity inspires trust, and that's a scarce thing in today's job market.

Higher Pay

The key strategy for skilled workers for increasing their own pay is to job-hop. Employees who run out their contracts in San Jose are usually on the phone with the San Antonio movers the next morning.

In an age of stagnant wages and even more stagnant employers, it is the only way employees can engineer a career where their compensation keeps up with the new skills they are expected to develop on a regular basis.

Be the exception and offer a better compensation package. You'll find that getting what you pay for is still the gold standard when it comes to top talent in business.

Advancement

In a market where employees survive by job-hopping, it is clear your success as an employer depends on the bird in the hand strategy. Once you've recruited a superstar and you have made the commitment to pay them what they're worth, offering a new title doesn't hurt.

The reason this is so effective is because it rarely costs you anything extra and it gives your current employee a reason to stick around. Even if they aren't fully satisfied by their current title, the promise of a future promotion might do the trick.

Commitment

Job security is in short supply these days. If you are one of the sources of this rare commodity, you are going to be on everyone's short list as the place to apply, especially if your employees have ongoing financial obligations, families or retirement plans.

You need to talk up your home city. Make your community sound like a place where your new talent can put down roots and thrive. After that, the fastest way to lock-in great talent is to offer them a guaranteed contract. It will make you stand out in their mind during the recruiting process and it will likely not cost you a dime in extra salary if you structure it properly.

Think about it. If you win the Super Bowl, how do you keep your quarterback? You certainly don't do it with a handshake and a gift basket.

There are numerous organizations in the world that always seem to come out on top in the search for great people. Learning from these organizations is a good first step towards obtaining the same success for yourself.