Preparing for hiring

Conduct a Needs Analysis: Gather together everyone involved in the hiring process and talk about the position, reporting schemes and qualifications needed to fill the position. Assign steps in the hiring process, and timelines for those steps, to certain staff.

Create a Compelling Position Profile: Using the above information, write a compelling job description, consisting of two parts: a profile of your company and a profile of the position. Use words that sell (adjectives) throughout the document, such as “state-of-the-art,” “forward thinking,” “dynamic,” “industry leading,” etc. Try to tell a story to the reader, yet at the same time provide information on your company, the position and the qualifications you seek.

Proactively Seek Referrals: Call a meeting of everyone in the department in which the position is open and ask each person to name 1-3 individuals who are high performers in the position you’re looking to fill. For example, if you’re looking for an outboard service technician, assemble your service department and ask everyone to recommend an outboard technician they know: unemployed OR employed.

Advertise the Position: Ask yourself the questions: Where does the person I’m looking for hang out? Would online and/or print media work to reach that person? Try and avoid large/national job boards and think instead about advertising the position in industry-specific, and perhaps trade specific, outlets. Use low cost, high-visibility posting sites such as Craigslist or LinkedIn. (Tip: If you’re looking to fill a trades position, don’t discount the good old local newspaper!)

Source: Neal Harrell, president, Brooks Marine Group, Inc. (www.brooksmarinegroup.com). BMG is a management recruiting firm serving the recreational marine industry. In addition to its retained search and recruiting operations, Brooks Marine Group operates the online job board and employment site, www.careerboat.com.