Arrive Magazine - January/February, 2012

Business Class
The
Business
of Hiring

FOverqualified candidates. Talent wars. Cultural fits. How to get hiring right at any company Fifteen years ago, Heidi Krupp-Lisiten hired based on likes rather than skill set. “It was more of a gut check. I was young and just starting and had never hired or fired anyone at the previous jobs I had, so I didn’t know and understand the man- agement process, ” says Krupp-Lisiten, president of Krupp Kommunications, a 28-employee public relations, branding, media and marketing agency in New York. Now much wiser, she says, “I learned the hiring process isn’t my best skill, so I don’t
do it. I have others vet and check refer-
ences, skills, and then use me as the last
interview. I can see if they are the right cul-
ture fit as well as offer any gut checks.”
What company doesn’t want dream
employees? A company is only as good as
its people.

“Making poor decisions will cost both your company coffers and your company culture dearly,” says Dave Anderson, author of How to Lead by The Book: Proverbs, Parables, and Principles to Tackle Your Toughest Business Challenges.

Hiring was tepid at best during the Great Recession, and as the recovery goes through its fits and starts, it’s still a buyer’s market for employers. “There is a very large and highly qualified talent pool to choose from. Employers can afford to be picky and hold out for the best possible contributor,” Anderson says.

That luxury presents its own problems, though. With superstars aplenty, do firms snatch up candidates for positions

By Sheryl NaNce-NaSh IllUSTra TIONS By OlIVer MUNDay

for which they are clearly overqualified? Then, too, the sheer volume of responses an employer receives increases the time it takes to cull through all the résumés and applications. In addition, the percentage of applicants not presenting the qualifications an employer seeks may also increase, producing a lower rate of return on the time spent in recruiting, says Christine Walters, author of From Hello to Goodbye: Proactive Tips for Maintaining Positive Employee Relations.