Recruiting Talent - Job One (or at least Job Two)

Working for a small company (less than $50 million in revenue) has a lot of benefits. I know since I work for one. One of the benefits is a less bureaucratic environment to navigate through to get the job done. Also, a small company offers a workplace which is more like an addition to my family vs. a place to work where I punch in and punch out. Though there are benefits for working for a small company, one area which is a big challenge is recruiting talent. Small companies are at a disadvantage when recruiting talent. Many times I'm "competing" with Fortune 1000 companies. Though the pay and benefits may match my "rivals", in general, talent gravitates to large, well-known companies. There may be many reasons for this, such as, a perception that bigger companies are "safer" as it relates to employment or the prestige that comes from working for a "name brand" company. In the end, one of my challenges of leading a team for a small company is recruiting talent. If you are managing a team, recruiting talent is "job one" or a close second. Before a product can be sold, assembled, shipped and invoiced, talent is required to sell it, make it, ship it and invoice it . Keeping an eye out for talent is important. Here are a couple of ideas which may be helpful. I work with my HR team to schedule at least one interview each month for a position of interest though an immediate need for talent may not be present. Having a steady-stream of talent to interview and consider gives me an idea of the type of talent out there, and provides me a leg-up if I'm faced with a hiring opportunity. A second idea is joining professional organizations and attending meetings and symposium associated with your business. This allows you the opportunity to keep an eye-out for talent you may want to recruit, in addition to building-up your professional network. Keeping your fingers on the "pulse of talent" is essential when managing a team, and if not "Job One" then it's "Job Two."

Raj