The goal when recruiting for any position, regardless of the size or orientation of your company, is a simple one. To get the very best person possible. Like most goals, however, it is far more easily stated than accomplished – especially when given the limited size of our local population on Vancouver Island.

When you set out to find your next employee, where and how do you begin your process, and where does it end? If you’re like most companies, you probably begin with a posted advertisement on one or more of any number of websites or classified advertising platforms, and wait for applications to start coming in. True, it’s the traditional method, but is it a viable strategic method of attracting the very best candidate(s) for the job?

I believe that, in any field at any time, the best candidates – let’s say the top 20% in their field – are not the people actively looking for new opportunities. Why? Because they are busy reaping the rewards that their talent and work ethic provide, enjoying successful careers, likely with one of your competitors. What then are the chances of one of these top performers reading and responding to your ad?

There are, of course, exceptions. Some companies have such excellent marketing and brand recognition that great people come to them, for most though the onus is very much on the recruiter to be proactive, not reactive. A cliched term, but no less true for that.

Do you have practices in place that enable you to go out and find those candidates who can have the most significant impact on your business? If not, is it possible for you to identify and implement those practices?