it's clever to view the function of attracting good
people in the same way you'd consider the sales
resources allocated to searching for good people (often your
existing team will be the best source of referrals, and always
ensure that you reward them for any introductions) and you
should also keep a recruitment pipeline this is the pool of
people you'd eventually like to recruit in the future. Investing
the time in people at this stage will prevent a rush job when a
role in your fi rm becomes available. Know the people who'd
be a good fi t in your business well in advance and spend time
getting to know them. Perhaps you already know them be-
cause they're working for a competitor, or you have a hunch
they'd be a great cultural fi t with your company.
one should come and work with them. These days Gen Y'ers
more than a healthy pay cheque. They want to be involved
in meaningful work and know that their contribution makes
a difference; they want to be surrounded with people who
have the same values and work styles; and they want the
perks that don't make their way into the job advertisements.
If you have perks like this be sure to let prospective employ-
ees know about them (at Business Chicks two of ours are
that we only employ happy, positive people and you'll get
every Friday afternoon off). I've also found it really useful
to list the potential negatives of joining your business (pro-
viding they're not insurmountable!). For us it would be that
we have limited budgets to work with, and there's travel
involved, which can sometimes be a negative for people
who don't want to be away from their partner/families. This
just lets people know upfront that you're willing to paint a
representative picture of what they can expect if they come
and join you.