Valuing Precious Resources Makes Economic Sense

The most important resources a company has are its employees. Happy employees make for happy customers. Then why are existing employees being stressed to the breaking point? And why is the hiring process treated as a necessary evil by many companies with the choosing of these precious, potential resources relegated to low level employees?

In these tough economic times, companies have a greater choice of candidates for an open position, receiving hundreds of resumes for each opening. The mistake is in filtering out applications based on a few key words using automated search tools or lower level humans. This is taking the easy way out and not giving each candidate the attention they deserve. When companies use boiler plate job descriptions without putting in the upfront time to meet and discuss and determine what really matters, they are missing an opportunity. For example: what if the person has had some great accomplishments in their area of expertise, gone the extra mile, taken on other projects for past employers but has only 8 of the 10 years you’ve decided is important? Or, what if they did the job, with great accomplishments in a different industry sector?

A subtle form of age discrimination has reared its ugly head- that is, hiring experienced “over qualified” workers – by posting job requirements of 5-7 years and rejecting those with more. Why not get more for less? Old ways of thinking, that the person will jump ship once the economy picks up, don’t hold true anymore.

A resume for a professional position is intended to provide a picture of the person’s experiences, flexibility, personality, education and potential. It is like a painting in that viewing only a corner limits the experience.

Smart companies treat the hiring process more seriously, investing more work up front,  paying attention to company values, company strategy, and how well the person may fit now and in the future.

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