The Entrepreneur's Guide To Strategic Hiring

New or seasoned entrepreneur. Small or large business. Ample or limited budget. There is a book just for you that teaches you how to strategically recruit people with the values and goals that will drive your venture forward.

Authored by Dave Carvajal, experienced entrepreneur and recruiter, the book is, Hire Smart From the Start: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Finding, Catching, and Keeping the Best Talent for Your Company.

Most important, you’ll learn how to:

Prioritize people over technology/ideas and capital.
Reframe your recruiting mindset to custom-fit talent to your organization (rather than settling for skill competence).
Use a tried-and-true process to search for individuals whose value/work-styles are compatible with your organization’s culture.

Hiring smart is key explains Carvajal, “because entrepreneurs need a competitive advantage, and that advantage is a group of people rather than a strong individual at the top.”

“I am not discounting the value of a strong leader; I’m just suggesting that it’s no longer enough,” he adds.

The book also explains (and then offers ways to counteract) the two hiring myths in particular that cause entrepreneurs to make hiring mistakes:

The Myth of Greatness: Our company is so terrific, our products and services are so amazing, that the best and the brightest will be falling all over themselves to apply for our job openings.

The Myth of Smallness: Our company is relatively insignificant compared to the larger companies or the market leaders; none of the top candidates would want to work here.

Even though these two myths are opposites, entrepreneurs often recruit under the influence of one of them.

Finally, the book shows you how to:

Recruit with an eye toward emerging and future trends.
Find and recruiting people who get things done.
Attract high-level hires (leaders and managers).
Entice “reach” candidates to leave good-paying jobs to come to your company.
Ask probing questions that get beyond skills, and uncovers motivations and values.

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