Hiring great employees is the foundation of any great sustainable business.  A great idea is just an idea without great people to execute that idea.  I came across some great tips today in an article entitled The Dangers of Haphazard Hiring in Building the Clean Economy.

 Highlights and some additional comments:  

·        Acknowledge:  simple communication goes a long way.  From acknowledging receipt of electronically sent resumes (one client of mine simply sets up an “Out of Office” message), to blanket emails informing candidates when the job has been filled, provides closure for applicants.  Never even acknowledging receipt of a resume sends a negative message about the hiring company and its lack of understanding about the plight of job seekers. People in industries talk amongst themselves. Do you want the conversation about your company to focus on its deaf ear? 

·         Indecision: dragging out the hiring process sends multiple bad messages.   Current employees question the decision making process, financial ability to take on new employees, and/or continue to do extra work to make up for the lack of more employees.  Candidates see these same traits.  As the article noted, the green sector is small and interconnected.  Indecisions can hurt a company for the long-haul.

·        Long Term Hits:  Job candidates hired through a poor process may harbor lingering resentment.  These employees will probably never work to their full potential and may jump ship at the first sign of better opportunities elsewhere. 

 Bottom Line: it doesn’t need to take a lot of effort to treat job candidates with a little respect.  That old rule probably applies here – treat others as you would like to be treated.