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54 How to Hire A-Players
contribution of audio-video equipment for underresourced schools.
Cenero’s lobby is that of a company that is going places. It impresses
everyone who walks in with the growth of the company, its values
as a community member, and its involvement in cutting-edge
audio-visual projects. Before a job candidate or customer ever meets
with a Cenero employee, Rob and his company manage to create a
fantastic first impression. Why wouldn’t potential job candidates
want to explore working for this company? What steps can you
take to improve your company’s first impression to visitors?
Authenticity Is Attractive
Developing and communicating a brand in recruiting does not have
to be expensive. Often you can differentiate yourself and your company
in the eyes of A-players simply by how you act. One of my
favorite examples of this occurred when I referred a 25-year-old
salesman as a job applicant to Jeff Phillips, the president of Fleet
Feet Inc. This salesman was working for a large corporation and
felt stifled by the bureaucracy. He and Jeff had a good initial phone
conversation and agreed to meet at a coffee shop near Fleet Feet’s
headquarters in Carrboro, North Carolina, for a face-to-face interview.
Jeff told him, ‘‘I will be the guy wearing shorts and riding a
Harley.’’ Here was this gifted young guy who felt stifled in a big corporate
environment, and he was going to meet with the president of
a company who wore shorts and rode a motorcycle to an interview!
Jeff was being absolutely authentic, but he was also being intentional.
He knew this young sales guy would likely respond very positively
to the laid-back, we-don’t-take-ourselves-too-seriously
culture of Fleet Feet. He made sure that he communicated this nonverbal
message to this candidate, and it worked.
Attract A-Players by Serving the Community
Big Shark Bicycle on St. Louis’ Delmar Loop is a bike shop that
serves the community by promoting and directing races across the
city. Every Tuesday night in the spring and summer, Mike Weiss and
his crew put on a training criterium (a bike race on a closed course)
for everyone from elite racers to beginners to develop their road-