Hiring the right people for the right job is an essential part for an organization and perhaps the most difficult part of it is to get the desired result from them
Words by: Krishna Kumar, CEO of GreenPepper Consulting Images: Various Sources
It is difficult to hire people and extract performance from them. In last few years, job markets have changed a lot. Earlier, job seekers were ready to work for lower salaries to start with and gradually prove to climb the ladder. Now people believe in quick wins. It means employers need to structure a fast track growth path for employees. They need instant rewards, good work environment, freedom and learning opportunities. They want startup kind of work culture which boosts creativity and energy. Smart proven people will come at a premium. They will look for good management and growth opportunities. Employers need to constantly look at ways to excite them and motivate them to do things. They question strategy of employer and poses challenges always. So managing people takes 50% time or more sometimes of entrepreneurs and CEOs.
Hiring the right person
Hiring becomes challenging and focused activities need to be in place to constantly seek talent using creative ways. It can be social and professional networking, observing smart talented people and relationship building (we call it talentdating) intended for headhunting. This is a gradual but uncertain process which will be a key of any business.
In Kerala, people prefer to stay in organizations for longer term compared to other large metros as opportunities are lesser. Competitive offers, greater opportunities to learn and grow in other metros attract our star talent to try possibilities there. To bring talent to work in our organizations, we need a clear strategy. Employer branding, creative sourcing, employee referrals and headhunting are the new ways. Managing millennials is a big challenge for many managers. They believe opportunities are plenty and joining a company doesn’t mean staying for long unless there is huge opportunity to earn, learn and have fun! Many traditional businesses are facing challenges because of is new reality. They need to change their attitude towards workforce.
Ideas for hiring sales talent
Meeting people informally and sharing opportunities in their organisation can create lot of interest and curiosity which can lead word of mouth and referrals. Sales talent is contextual. A guy who performs well in one industry may not work in another. But key behaviors and skills are universal. Nowadays, employers do strict assessment for sales hiring to reduce judgment errors. They do psychometric testing, multiple rounds of interviews and multidimensional hiring thought process to finally offer a candidate. Compensation will be fixed plus variable and making both equally attractive.
Ensuring successful engagement of Employees
First 90 days is crucial. Give the employee detailed induction, take their feedback, introduce them to team, make them comfortable, give specific assignments for quick wins. Everyone loves quick wins. Help them to achieve it. That way it engages the new employee. Give clarity on KPIs, Key Performance Indicators. Tell them what is appreciated and not. Prepare a takeoff plan.
Motivating people at work
Healthy workplace relationships, opportunity to learn, appreciation, clarity of performance feedback are the key things. Money is important too. In a competitive market, employees compare their salaries with counterparts in other similar organizations, making them feel good or bad. Comparison is the death of happiness many cases. As an employer, you need to remind them how lucky they are to work in the company, by constantly communicating and engaging at work. Create a high energy workplace for faster results.
Engaging people at work
Immediate supervisors and managers play a big role in it. Giveequipment’s and resources to complete the assigned task, up skilling to do the work, giving specific instructions and feedback, discuss progress, encourage healthy friendships at workplace, be genuinely interested in their learning and advancement, making the feel part of a mission and give clarity of how to contribute to the organization. This approach works globally and we need to develop this as a process for engaging people consistently.
Smart people needs to be given opportunities to work on new projects, equip them with new skills, provide next orbit things which scare them thereby challenging them to prove their mettle. They need assignments which challenge their skills. So putting them on tough tasks can help to engage them. Creating a young and happy work culture can help them to work better. Managing them is not an event, it is a constant affair.