HOW TO HIRE

A clear, practical guide to consistently recruiting and retaining excellent employees.

“Anything is possible with the right people,” writes Smith, the founder and CEO of a firm that designs business management software. Acknowledging that effective hiring is difficult, Smith walks readers through the process. The book comprises three sections: “Culture” outlines the necessity of understanding and articulating the business’s values, mission, etc.; “Recruit” covers identifying hiring needs, strategies for recruitment, interviewing, and making the hire; and “Retain” advocates persuasively for keeping staff engaged and motivated by providing support and investing in professional development. Each section includes thought-provoking questions like: “Who is helping you see your blind spots during the hiring process?” and “Are you selling job seekers on the responsibilities or the opportunity?” Throughout, Smith emphasizes that recruiters consider what’s important to the role rather than a broad list of attributes. He offers concrete suggestions for incorporating hiring best practices, providing plenty of examples and anecdotes from his own experiences; he notes that while his first hire as an entrepreneur was a winner who helped build the business over 12 years, the next two were disastrous and had to be fired. He also references other well-known companies and authors including Zig Ziglar, Carol Dweck, and Daniel Pink. Readers can visit the companion website howtohire.com (which isn’t currently live) to download sample checklists, templates, and worksheets for implementing the systems described in the text. Smith’s approach, intended for hiring managers without specific HR expertise, is a refreshing departure from most conventional advice on hiring (and getting hired), which focuses on beating systems or verifying skill sets. Many companies claim, perhaps disingenuously, that their greatest asset is people, but Smith provides the resources to make that claim a reality.

A sensible, cleareyed playbook for attracting, developing, and retaining top performers.