Slow Draw McGraw

"The quick and the dead–you're either one or the other..."

I applied for a job. Not recently. A long time ago. It was 94 days ago...and counting. On the website where you apply with this particular company, you can log in and check the job status. I logged in recently. The job is still open. The place is still taking resumes, still reviewing candidates and, perhaps one day, will hire someone. Certainly, whoever the person is, will not be the best possible candidate.

How could it be? Other companies are hiring, too. Nobody applies to just one job at a time. The people applying to Job A are the same ones applying to Job B. And C. And D. And E. Yet, you wait a month, two months, three months and on and on. Why? To ensure you get the thirtieth best person for the job? This is a competitive job market for job seekers and employers. If you are waiting three or more months to hire a person for a vacancy, you are sure to have an entire staff, one day, comprised of nothing but sub-standard workers.

Why, for example, if you had the fifth pick in the draft, would you wait until the twenty-seventh pick–of the fourth round–to make your choice? Just because there are a lot of workers in the market right now doesn't mean there is a lot of talent.  Good, and even great, employees are getting snatched up by more nimble companies and you're going to get what's left over. That's how you prepare your organization for a competitive future? The other companies are taking top ten draft picks and you're signing throw away rejects. Hmm, what's going to happen when your two teams compete against one another?

Like the quote from Shawshank Redemption, you either get busy living, or you get busy dying–except in the case of business, you get busy hiring or get busy dying. Filling your staff with C+ workers is a sure path to demise.

But being slow on the draw isn't an HR department's only flaw. They also hamper themselves by checking things like a credit report. Really? That's you as a GM of a sports team: Hey, we have a chance to sign LeBron James...yeah, but have seen his credit score?

Not to worry. If you can't sign LeBron James, I'm sure you can wait and sign Reggie Evans in 3-4 months. NBA title, here we come!