It is a historical fact that sourcing the right talent is mission critical for the success of all business objectives. Yet in the modern age of recruitment, the gap in talent is one of the most important factors businesses face today when it comes to achieving their objectives and keeping pace with industry peers. When a job requirement becomes alive, getting energetic about execution is natural. The classic mode of “Ready, fire, aim” is very easy to adapt but difficult to execute. Especially when searching for the best-fit talent in the current competitive global business environment.

The missing element is having the discipline to organize, generate and document a plan for hiring. It doesn’t have to be needlessly complex. To help shape my hiring strategy, I go back to Rudyard Kipling’s 1902 poem “The Elephant’s Child”:

I keep six honest serving-men (They taught me all I knew);

Their names are what and why and when, and, how, where and who.

Utilizing them definitely leads to a successful and well-executed hiring strategy.

Why: - Ask and answer why the particular resource is needed. Defining the clear objective before the onset of your hiring assignment will set the direction just right.  

You could be hiring to – attain business growth, fulfill an immediate project need, add a specialized skill, have an outside view (consulting), need for extra hands, replacement, planning for forthcoming business initiatives or maintain a diverse workforce.

Who and what: - “I want the best human resource manager”, does this statement serves any purpose? No, it is quite vague. Defining and documenting who would make the ideal fit and what qualities are required will rule out the possibility of any miscommunication during the hiring process. Type of worker (contractual, direct, direct-to-hire), skills required, experience, educational background, budget. Include all these to a well-defined, documented, detailed and easy to follow job-description.

When and where: - Planning on when, for how long and location the resource is required goes a long way in saving employee management cost. Imagine a situation where a full-time employee is hired for a one-year assignment, No good.

How: - I compare the how to the critical twist of a thriller movie, it makes or breaks the rest of the hiring strategy. The talent you are looking for might just be across the street as just the globe, relying on traditional means of sourcing is no longer an option. Introspect whether or not your current hiring methodologies, resources, and technology are apt for the resource you are looking for or do you need an external specialized agency. In the end, we all want to source the best talent in the least possible time frame and cost. If we want definite results then we have to get smart with the strategy. Find out and execute accordingly what would work the best with the available or add-on resources.

You shall never fail.