The first interview typically involves the hiring manager, a team member, and me. We've taken this approach because the marketplace is very competitive right now, and the best candidates usually have two or three offers on the table. We can't afford to take a week or more to make an offer. Whether it's someone from our warehouse or someone from our sales team, the people who work here understand where the company is going because we work so hard to keep everyone informed. Our president, for example, speaks to the whole company at quarterly meetings, reviewing goals and discussing challenges and answering questions.
Internal communication is one of the most critical factors in employee retention.
HR professionals have realized they need to be more aggressive in selling themselves and what they offer their companies. We are not just an overhead group. We need to communicate that message. As technology plays an increasingly important role, and the HRIS systems become more savvy, HR people who work with technical teams need to understand the jargon and the tools. They don't necessarily need to know how to program, but they do need to understand what's important to the technical teams.