Hire Education

Simply put, Fast Growth companies have experienced "¼bergrowth" during the past two years. For some, that growth has come at the expense of growing support staff; for others, management is stretched too thin.

Many companies have tried online approaches to remedy their situations—for example, advertising through sites including Monster and Dice—and more mundane strategies such as attending job fairs. Placement firms are also employed, with varying degrees of success. However, none of those methods are entirely successful, alone or in combination, and so the challenges persist in locating the right person, and then in persuading that candidate to come aboard. Even for the movers and shakers in the VAR world, it's not an easy task.

"Good people have so many options," said Shawn O'Grady, president and COO of Incentra Solutions.

Recently, members of the Fast Growth gave us some insight into the challenges in hiring, and some options of their own.

Update—And Upgrade—Your Referral Program
Many VARs reward their employees for recommending candidates that are subsequently hired. While many VARs offer a referral bonus, it's often delivered as a flat fee, say $500, if the new hire hangs around three months. One Fast Growth company said bonuses are determined by the level of employee brought in, anywhere from $2,000 up to $10,000 for a seasoned applications developer. That type of bonus gets employees thinking.

Rev Up Your Benefits
Bob Cox, president of Nothing But Net (Fast Growth No. 35) in Tempe, Ariz., said he realized benefits could be very attractive to candidates. So he made sure his $3.9 million company offered health care and a 401(k) plan. But the company needed something with a little more oomph to attract qualified people quickly; after all, it was growing at a rate of more than 150 percent. Adding education reimbursement has set Nothing But Net somewhat apart from others vying for a limited pool of resources, Cox said.

Invest In Interns
Will Henderson, CEO of Sword and Shield, Knoxville, Tenn., (Fast Growth No. 7), hires a small number of interns every year and has had luck finding young talent. "Some will work out, and some will not," said Henderson, "but this way you can grow your own." Interns should have a structured program, receive regular feedback and be assigned one person as a mentor.

Bring The Recruiter In-House
For Yvonne Glenn, president and CEO of Trofholz Technologies (Fast Growth No. 22), Rocklin, Calif., the challenge lies in recruiting top-level talent."I am a big supporter of growing and nurturing people to top jobs," she said, "but sometimes you don't have time to do it." So, Trofholz has hired an in-house recruiter to get the job of filling 40 openings at least under way. Glenn pointed out that the recruiter doesn't have the final say; that task is still up to the hiring manager. However, Trofholz's recruiter does all the legwork, including posting for jobs, obtaining access to online employment boards, sifting through applications and screening applicants. In addition, the recruiter has a network of contacts—vital because not all qualified candidates are actively seeking new employers.

Try Personality Tests
Once those coveted, select few candidates are identified, it's important to know if he or she is going to measure up—or fizzle out. "We had one candidate who had been at Microsoft a number of years," said one Fast Growth VAR. "He completely flaked out on the job." Companies are now turning to aptitude assessments for help in determining whether, in fact, the correct candidate is about to be placed in a mission-critical position. VARs are using these tests for salespeople, managers and other strategic jobs. "We've made seven or eight hires using Success Insights' tests," said Gary Johnston, president of IT Partners (Fast Growth No. 41), Phoenix. "The two or three times we did not heed the tests' recommendations of not to hire someone, we ended up regretting that hiring decision."