Boing. Boing. Is That The Sound of Your Next Hire?

"Meet the new boss

The same as the old boss”

--“Won’t Get Fooled Again,” The Who

Although that lyric from The Who, a 60’s band consisting of Pete Townsend, Roger Daltrey, John Entwhistle and Keith Moon, were singing of revolution and rejecting the status quo, there is something suggested in their lyrics that you can use to hire more staff more easily.

It is something that The Big 8 firms (the eight largest accounting firms) did for years during their peak of power and prestige. It is something that you can do NOW to plant the seeds for future hires—something that will become critical as the boomers start to retire and leave the workforce.

Form an alumni group and have someone on point for it so that you have a chance to hire your former workers in the future.

Minimally, collect information that allows you to re-contact former employees by email and do so every 9 months.

Help them get interviews for their next job with other former employees. Help them make good decisions about their choices.

Re-hire people whose skills and temperament fit your needs. Let them "boomerang" back to you.

Why shouldn’t you re-hire the programmer who worked for you three years ago if their knowledge and experience can help you solve a problem?

Maybe they were mismanaged by their boss or released during a down turn in the economy.

Why not bring them back?

The fact is that in the next few years, the number of skilled people will be leaving the workforce because of retirement will be in the millions. Unless we miraculously replace them with immigrants who know your business instantly, you should as few boundaries to hiring down as possible.

By creating a climate where talented boomerangs will want to return to your company and (making it comfortable for them to do so by giving them previous benefits toward vacations, for example) your business will be helped in many ways.

Jeff Altman
The Big Game Hunter
Concepts in Staffing
jeffaltman@cisny.com

© 2007 all rights reserved.

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter, is Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm, He has successfully assisted many corporations identify management leaders and staff in technology, accounting, finance, sales, marketing and other disciplines since 1971. He is a certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist.

To receive a daily digest of positions emailed to you, search job openings, use his free job lead search engine, Job Search Universe. to subscribe Jeff’s free job search ezine, Head Hunt Your Next Job, or to learn more and sign up for his VIP Personal Search Agent service, go to, http://www.jeffaltman.com. To subscribe to Jeff’s free recruiting ezine, Natural Selection Ezine, subscribe at www.naturalselectionezine.com

If you would like Jeff and his firm to assist you with hiring staff, or if you would like help with a strategic job change, send an email to him at jeffaltman@cisny.com (If you’re looking for a new position, include your resume).