Without your employees your company would be nothing. Everybody realizes this. That is why we all seek out the top performers. But, how actively are we looking? Many companies spend very little on their recruiting process, then they end up with mediocre employees that they will have to spend the majority of their time managing. This article will look at some ways of distinguishing the top performers from the masses and how to keep a hold on them.
How Are Top Performers Different?
There are a number of ways to differentiate top performers from your run-of-the-mill employees. Top performers will always have multiple job offers. This is not only because they want to have them (i.e. the choice to make) but, as well, other agencies recognize them as top performers. Top performers always work in the area of natural ability and strength. It is instinctual. Top performers always need to be challenged with new responsibilities and new projects. Top performers learn about job opportunities through referrals and their developed networks. A top performer does not respond to a job posting. A top performer takes time to make their decisions. When it comes to making their next career move they carefully weigh the pros and cons. Their career moves are always strategic. They want to gain new skills and experiences that will help them meet their career goals. Accepting a job that offers development of the same goals seems pointless to a top performer. Money is never the selling point for a top performer regardless of what field that they are in.
Finding And Retaining Top Performers
Here are 10 ways to help you to find and retain top performers for your company. First, keep track of the recruiting process of your company. Make sure to rate your employees to see how many top performers you have on your team. Figure out who you are losing your potential employees to. Make sure that you keep the hiring time down to a minimum as potential employees may lose patience waiting for that call. If it takes months to hire new staff your hiring process may need some tweaking. Make sure you allow time for training. Every employee needs about 3 months of training to reach the level your other employees are at. Get your own unique resources for hiring new recruits. The less competition the better. The people you have doing the recruiting must be top performers – only the best can detect the best. Make sure that these people know how to set a high standard for recruiting. You do not want someone who does comparative hiring or will bell-curve the results which will result in mediocre employees. Keep an eye open for disruptive events that would cause companies to go out of business. This is the time to swoop in and take their top performers. Again, make sure to act quickly if you think you have a top performer as they are not going to wait around forever. When you are recruiting someone, it is important to remember that they are not only responsible for selling themselves to you but the company is also responsible for selling itself to them. Finally, remember that recruiting will always be an ongoing process. Even if you have a team made up of all top performers (which is highly unlikely) you can always do better.
