How to Effectively Recruit the Right Employee

Finding the right employee can be a time-consuming process. And, a costly one - especially if the wrong person is hired.

According to a 2002 University of Missouri Small Business Development Center Study, ". . . on average, it costs a company one-third of a new hire's annual salary to replace [the[ employee . . . at minimum wage, the cost to replace an employee is estimated at $3,700.]"

Imagine what it costs at the professional level, eg, executive assistants, office managers, etc.? Following are three policies every company can implement to recruit the right employee - effectively and efficiently.

1. Address Fears: Human beings are creatures of habit, and one of the main reasons a "perfect fit" may turn down a good opportunity is because they don't know where the coffee area is. Let me explain via a little story.

John is an administrative assistant making 27K/year. He's been with his company for five years, every since he graduated from college. Even though he's not crazy about his supervisor, he knows her quirks and how to handle them. He's bored with his position and he'd also like to make 4-5K more per year.

Every Friday night, John meets up with Gary, Lynn and Angela - all co-workers -- for a drink at the pub down the street.

They all rag on the unreasonable expectations of their bosses, how they managed to "pull one over" on him/her, what they plan to do over Easter vacation. They even make plans to rent a summer house at the Jersey shore for a week together.

You, the recruiter, receive John's name and a little about him through your networking efforts. You cold call him, introduce yourself and describe an open position you think he'd be perfect for.

It pays 4K more than John makes now, has chance for advancement, and is also located 10 minutes closer to his home. You think this would be a slam dunk of a placement, right? Wrong! John turns down the job.

"What went wrong?" you may be asking. What else could I have done?

People don't leave jobs - they leave familiarity, friends, a sense of belonging. Human beings are creatures of habit. Even if a better opportunity presents itself, many times a prospect will turn down a position.