Here's the bad news: most of yesterday's hiring techniques don't work today in the face of ever-increasing competition among manufacturers and retailers.
Here's the good news: if you adopt a hiring strategy and employ the following 6 steps you can build your dream team!
How do you hire the "most appropriate"? Start by bringing together the interview team to discuss how they envision the position. What skills are needed for the position today? What will be demanded a year from now? Even if there are differences of opinion from those involved in the hire, there will also be common ground.
Next update the "job description" that you have on file for the position. Today's toy business is changing rapidly; yesterday's job description might not fit.
The most inexpensive is the "word-of-mouth" network. Risk factor: knowing someone who might be looking to change jobs. The most convenient hire may not always be the best possible hire.
You can place an ad in the classified section. Risk factor: why the reader might be looking at the ads in the first place.
You can hire an agency which shares their "client candidates" and might have the person you seek in their files. Risk factor: remember their client is the candidate, not you the hiring authority.
You can retain a search firm. The firm should partner with you in developing a search strategy and in locating individuals with specific skill sets. Risk factor: time urgency. It takes time to search a given universe.
Understanding motivations is critical. Why were they attracted to this company? These questions will help you learn what makes a person "tick."
Also, ask for a Social Security number to verify a college degree on a resume. Even if a degree is not important to the position, if the candidate has listed a degree and you discover they do not have it, that tells you something more about the candidate.
When you extend the offer, get rid of the old thinking that someone "needs a week to think about it." If you have done an effective job of courting each other, the decision should be obvious. Make it clear when you extend the offer there is a time limit(24-48 hours) to think about it before it is rescinded. This will allow less time to shop other offers.