Chronicles in Hiring: Where to Find Good Talent

So you finally cut the cord with an employee who just wasn’t working out. If you’re honest with yourself, it was probably a long time coming and definitely in the best interest of the firm. But now, suddenly realizing that having someone there is better than having no one, you may be inclined to place an ad on Craigslist and hire the first person with a pulse to walk through your door or perform reasonably well on a phone interview.

Before you slap that ad on Craigslist and hope for the best, remember the Academy hiring mantra: “Hire slow, fire fast.” Keep in mind that while you might be in a bit of a pickle right now with your existing team loaded down with more work than you’d like, this is the perfect opportunity to take a step toward building a top-performance team full of A players. There are a lot of options when starting the search for the perfect addition to your team:

Employment Agencies.

This can be a great option for the right firm. Do keep in mind that while you are likely to find well qualified candidates who have already been vetted for you a bit, these agencies usually charge you a certain percentage of your new employee’s salary for period of time and can also be quite costly up front.

A big perk to working with a service like this is that if they send you someone who doesn’t work out, they will continue to look for another candidate until you find the right fit. This is a great option if you can afford the expense and are short on time of your own to find, qualify and vet out a potential hire.

Contact and get pricing from a local company to see what the cost associated with their services are. You may even consider working with more than one service.

Your Inner Circle

You may not even realize that you probably have a pool of talent in your own backyard! As you’re searching for the right fit, start with your inner circle, close friends and family to get the word out that you are hiring. Be clear about the skills you are looking for as well as the type of person you want to add to your team (if you run a FUN office full of hard workers who work together like a family, make sure you are putting the word out about wanting someone who will be like another family member on your team!).

Also keep in mind that like-minded people tend to flock together – does anyone on your existing team know of someone who is looking for an opportunity like the one you are offering? Don’t be afraid to brainstorm with your team about other ideas to spread the word – any clubs you are involved in or that your family is involved in? Church? Softball league? Knitting Club?

Online Job Sites

While you’re considering an agency and searching your own backyard, at the same time go ahead and place ads online. Be aware of the cost here; some can be pretty pricey. Set a budget and make sure you post on an optimal day and time.

Check to see if your newspaper has an online classified ad space and also consider posting to Indeed.com, Glassdoor.com, LinkedIn or even sites like Hiremymom.com. And yes, it’s still ok to post your ad on Craigslist – just don’t let that be your ONLY pool of candidates.

At the Academy, we pooh-pooh the idea of reinventing the wheel, so as you embark on your hiring journey, chances are we have proven/tested ads that we can share with you as you get further along in the process.

Whatever you end up using to find your talent, be sure you are being specific and detailed with what you need and don’t sugarcoat anything. The more honest you are about the type of person you need in this position the less time you will spend with unqualified candidates.

Hire slow, fire fast. Never settle. Your perfect team awaits.

Kathryn Adams
Practice Building Consultant
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (858) 453-2128
www.aaepa.com