Blog Post: Word to the wise: always have your hook in the water!

One of the amazing things about my career is that I have had the opportunity to connect with literally thousands of talented hiring managers, recruiters, HR professionals, and business owners. In the nearly 8 years I've been at Jobing.com, I've learned many lessons from these great people. One of the biggest is "always have your hook in the water."

What does that really mean, though? It means this: we are in a war for talent and if companies are not constantly on the lookout for top talent, those companies will lose the war.

"But, Peter, we're in a hiring freeze!" or "We're not hiring right now." you say? I understand that. But let me propose you take a look at recruiting in a different light.

The typical recruiting scenario at many organizations looks/sounds/feels like this:

• Employee A resigns or is terminated
• Manager X walks over to/calls HR/recruiting and says something akin to "I need a/an (insert position here) ASAP!"
• Recruiter/HR person Y responds "I'll put the job on Jobing.com right away, but our next training class isn't until two weeks from now."
• Manager X freaks out, ranting about how the heck his department will accomplish the business goals they need to meet if Recruiting/HR is never ready for turnover.
• Recruiter/HR person Y apologizes and explains that ongoing recruiting "just isn't in the budget."

Here is the typical aftermath of such a short-sighted recruiting "plan" (term used loosely):

• Manager X walks out frustrated.
• Recruiter/HR person Y walks out frustrated.
• Business goals go unmet.
• Revenues suffer.
• HR/Hiring managers hire the first person they find that matches the basic requirements.
• Remaining employees and managers lose faith in HR and the Company.
• Employee satisfaction goes down.
• Turnover goes up.
• The process starts over

How many of you have experienced this? A lot of you I am sure, since I think I just heard a collective "amen!" go out across Houston.

Hiring freezes or full rosters are commonplace in business, so plan on them. But what would you do if the PERFECT candidate walked in your door today? Would you turn them away saying "sorry, we're on a hiring freeze"? Or do you think the boss would miraculously find a spot for them on the team?

In great organizations, business leaders are always - ALWAYS - on the lookout for the next great member of the team, regardless of whether there is an opening.  Just ask my friend of 17 years and coworker Rick Gonzales.

This is getting a bit long for a blog, but I want to share a quick personal story about how Jobing.com does exactly what I am suggesting.

My team here in Houston is currently full. However, I have my Inside Sales position posted and am accepting resumes and setting interviews. Why? Because I know that when our next growth spurt happens, I'll have a pipeline full of qualified, well-screened candidates that I am already familiar with and can begin the final selection process quickly.

Better yet - just a month ago I was filling the tank of my Jobing Mobile at a gas station near my home and the nice lady at the pump across from me asked "Do you work for Jobing.com?" and I said "Yes I do!" We began a conversation at that point, and I interviewed her a couple days later. Today, she's the newest member of my team and she's performing phenomenally.

The lesson in these stories is this: the supposed "cost" of ongoing recruiting is far outweighed by the true cost of not being prepared to hire. So my word to the wise is: always have your hook in the water. You'll never know when the perfect candidate will swim by.