Landing the First Draft Picks: Setting Your Hiring Goals For the Year Ahead

Let’s pretend, just for a moment, that instead of hiring for a major corporation, you are actually in charge of completing the player roster for a major NFL team.

I know. Pretty exciting stuff, right?

      If your job consisted of choosing the players for your major sports team, my guess is that searching for those players wouldn’t be limited to the weeks surrounding your openings. Instead, you would likely spend the entire year prior to filling those slots doing your research. Networking, paying attention to performance, and collecting stats would all be considered a valuable use of your time. Planning, research and preparation would be the name of the game for you.

      So let me ask you why the same commitment doesn’t exist when it comes to completing your company’s lineup? Why is it that hiring managers so often wait to the last minute when fulfilling hiring needs?

      I’m not trying to guilt you. This is a precedent that has been set industry wide – across multiple industries, really. Companies don’t always think about their hiring needs until they are right up next to those holes in their own rosters. But imagine how much more successful you could be if you set your hiring goals at the beginning of every year, and if you then committed to meeting those goals throughout the year.

Why don’t you give it a try this year?

•          Respect the Budget: The number one thing to keep in mind when cultivating your annual hiring goals should be how those goals adhere to your budget. Pay attention to how much room you have given yourself to grow before creating lofty and unattainable goals.
•          Look Towards Future Projects: The next step is to analyze the projects you anticipate beginning in the year to come. We can’t always predict things like turnover, but we can evaluate staffing needs for projected growth.
•          Value Quality over Quantity: Never turn a resume away, even if you don’t currently have any hiring needs. Keep the promising resumes on hand, and maintain connections with potential applicants who seem to have the qualities you would be looking for during hiring season. Then, value quality hires. Yes, you may sometimes have to pay more for the perfect fit – but that investment pays out tenfold when you factor in less turnover and increased production.

      But what if you’re sitting there thinking to yourself, “That’s all well and good, but who has the time for a year of planning and preparation surrounding each and every hire?” The reality is, most hiring managers have a whole lot more on their plate then just preparing for the NFL Draft of filling open positions. For those of you shaking your heads and thinking you are already stretched too thin – that’s where a quality recruiter comes in. Remember, my sole responsibility is to prepare you for that draft. It’s my full time job. So if you are feeling overwhelmed already by the prospect of focusing on hiring goals for the entire year, it might be time to start developing a relationship with a quality recruiter who knows your business and has the time to seek out the top draft picks for your open positions.

 

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New Years Resolution: Get My Dream Job

     Have you ever heard of The Secret? The basic premise is that you can bring whatever you hope for into your life through the power of positive thinking.

     I love the idea of that, but I think there has to be some productivity behind our positive thoughts as well. And when it comes to something like landing your dream job, you have to do more than just dream – you have to proactively work towards that goal.

     That said, why can’t 2015 be the year you make your dreams come true? Why not resolve right now to take those steps towards something great?

     If you are setting your sights on that dream job, it’s time to get proactive today!

*    Improve Yourself: We all like to pretend that we are the experts in our fields, but the truth is – there is always room for improvement. And hiring managers love to see applicants who are invested in continued growth. So maybe this is the year you take the leap towards pursuing an advanced degree. Or perhaps there is a single class geared towards changes within your industry that you could benefit from. There might be a new certification you could use, or someone in your company you could approach to be your mentor. The point is, find a way to make yourself an even better candidate. There are always ways to grow.

*     Update Your Resume: I want to let you in on a little secret: I review resumes every single day, and more often than not, they are chaotic messes that fail to convey the true potential a candidate has to offer. If you have been using the same resume for the last 10 years, or your resume reads more like a novel than a concise and bulleted list, it is probably time for an update. If you can’t be objective about what to include on your resume or if writing just isn’t your thing, get help! Hiring an expert to create the most professional and pristine resume in the bunch is a great investment– because again, it is all about improving your odds!

*      Look Beyond the Job Postings: Job postings are great, but they don’t always tell the full story. Networking and making friends within a variety of companies is the best way to give yourself that insiders boost when it comes to the opportunities that may arise in the year ahead. Don’t be afraid to make your name known and to rely on your network when you are hoping to get your resume seen. Ask questions of hiring managers and pay attention to a company’s hiring habits. There are so many factors that go into a hiring decision; the more you know, the better able you are to present yourself as the ideal candidate.

      Have a GREAT 2015!

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Job Opening: Software Engineer

     Interviewing for a SOFTWARE ENGINEER who loves to create, build, improve UAVs or RC planes. Have you been building RC planes since you were a child? Have you authored your own custom autopilots or embedded control code as a profession or a hobby? Would you love to be paid for this type of work? Email your resume to Whitney (whitney@unmannedpower.com) for confidential review and consideration. (Note: must be US citizen).