Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

It’s Only Common Sense: Great Ideas From John Mitchell’s Book on Hiring Habits

Finding good people is hard. Keeping them is even harder. Companies in our industry have been winging it for years. We have been doing the hiring the same way we have always done it, and we all know that doing the same things and expecting different results is the true definition of insanity. It’s time to stop the insanity and find new ways to hire and retain good people.

One of the best ways to do this is to “fire your hiring habits,” which coincidentally is the name of Dr. John W. Mitchell’s new book.

I just finished reading it, and I highly recommend it. It’s full of great strategies for hiring and keeping people. In fact, here’s my condensed version of some of the best ideas and strategies I gleaned from the book, Fire Your Hiring Habits: Building an Environment that Attracts Top Talent in Today’s Workforce.

• Define clear job requirements: Clearly outline the skills, qualifications, and expectations for the role.
• Use behavioral interviewing: Ask situational questions to assess how candidates have handled specific scenarios in the past.
• Evaluate cultural fit: Consider how well candidates align with your company's values and culture.
• Utilize multiple sourcing channels: Don't rely on just one method to find candidates; explore job boards, social media, referrals, etc.
• Build a strong employer brand: Present your company as an attractive place to work through branding efforts and positive employee experiences.
• Offer competitive compensation and benefits: Ensure your compensation package is competitive within your industry to attract top talent.
• Provide opportunities for growth: Show candidates potential career paths and opportunities for advancement within your organization.
• Streamline the hiring process: Keep the hiring process efficient and respectful of candidates' time to avoid losing top talent to lengthy processes.
• Offer flexibility: Consider offering flexible work arrangements to attract a wider pool of candidates and accommodate diverse needs.
• Provide regular feedback and recognition: Employees thrive on feedback and recognition; provide them with regular constructive feedback and acknowledge their contributions.
• Encourage collaboration and teamwork: Foster a collaborative work environment where employees feel valued and supported by their peers.
• Invest in training and development: Provide opportunities for continuous learning and skill development to help employees grow professionally.
• Promote work-life balance: Encourage a healthy balance between work and personal life to prevent burnout and promote overall well-being.
• Communicate openly and transparently: Foster a culture of open communication where employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns.
• Offer employee wellness programs: Implement wellness initiatives to support employees' physical and mental health.
• Provide recognition and rewards: Recognize employees' achievements and contributions through rewards, incentives, or other forms of acknowledgment.
• Create a positive work environment: Foster a positive workplace culture where employees feel respected, supported, and motivated to do their best work.
• Encourage innovation and creativity: Create an environment that values and encourages innovation, experimentation, and creative thinking.
• Promote diversity and inclusion: Foster a diverse and inclusive workplace where employees from different backgrounds feel welcome and valued.
• Conduct regular performance reviews: Provide regular performance evaluations to give employees feedback on their progress and areas for improvement.
• Encourage employee engagement: Actively involve employees in decision-making processes and encourage them to contribute their ideas and opinions.
• Address conflict and issues promptly: Deal with conflicts and issues in a timely and constructive manner to prevent them from escalating.
• Lead by example: Demonstrate the behaviors and values you want to see in your employees through your own actions and decisions.
• Provide clear expectations: Clearly communicate job expectations and goals to employees to help them understand what is required of them.
• Celebrate successes: Recognize and celebrate both individual and team successes to boost morale and motivation.

I find it ironic that most of my client calls these days are focused on their workforce issues. Just last week, one general manager told me that hiring was the bane of his existence. In the past week, six new people started on Monday; by Friday, only two were left. The rest of the conversation was about what could be done. Right here in our own industry, the CEO of IPC has written a book addressing—and offering solutions to—this exact problem. It’s that simple, isn’t it? Sometimes, what we are looking for is right in our own backyard, waiting to be found; all we have to do is look for it.

It’s only common sense.

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management Group.