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Published in U.S. 1 Newspaper on February 9, 2000. All rights
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Hiring? It’s a Sale: Terry Williams
Approach hiring like you would sales if you want to
recruit the best talent in a tight job market, says management
consultant
Terry Williams. “If a company has to fill 200 jobs in the
year 2000, it’s no different than a sales organization having to go
and sign up 200 customers,” says Williams. “It’s a matter
of developing a plan, executing it, making offers, and closing
deals.”
Williams speaks on “Sourcing and Attracting High-Tech Talent:
The New Corporate Agenda,” at the New Jersey Technology Council
Meeting on Wednesday, February 16, at 5 p.m. at the Princeton Hyatt.
Call 609-489-2626. Cost: $75.
Based in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, Williams specializes in technical
recruiting. Williams grew up in Collegeville and went to Indiana
University
of Pennsylvania, where he earned a BS in criminology and psychology,
Class of 1979. Instead of pursuing law, he joined a headhunting
company.
There’s an incredible shortage of high-tech talent right now, says
Williams, and that’s going to affect companies across the board.
“The
Internet is driving new business and creating a whole new market,”
says Williams, “which means retail companies are becoming
technology
companies, and pharmaceutical companies are becoming technology
companies,”
he says. “Recent estimates put the number of E-commerce jobs at
800,000, while the number of college graduates last year hovered at
about 35,000.”
“I view recruiting as a sales function rather than a human
resources
function,” says Williams. “Traditionally, most firms will
put the burden of hiring on the human resources department, but they
may not be qualified.” Recruiting, like sales, should be proactive
and strategic, says Williams, with emphasis not just on hiring, but
on sourcing, attracting and retaining employees as well.
Companies should add the following to their personnel procedures,
says Williams:
Relationship recruiting. Instead of seeking only activecandidates (those searching for jobs), establish a routine forrecruitingpassive candidates (those not searching for a job). Your HR peoplecan maintain a relationship with some good prospects for up to acoupleof years.Training and development. “Training and developmentare the top two reasons you retain professionals,” says Williams.”Compensation is only the fourth reason why individuals changejobs. Listen to your employees.”Flexibility. Provide flexibility in schedules and inenvironment.”Cisco is an example of one company that has established a funsort of environment,” says Williams. “There’s a lot offlex-timeand casual dress, not a lot of shirts and ties.”At Cisco, and at other big companies, the prevailing philosophyis that people are your most important assets. Says Williams:”CEOsare aware that the success of the company is dependent on hiring goodpeople — the back door affects the front door.”— Melinda SherwoodPrevious StoryNext StoryCorrections or additions?This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
