What are the best books for hiring employees?
Hiring graduates is a tricky and time-consuming balancing act.
You have to find the perfect candidate, beat the competition, and then hope that they are right for your company.
There are lots of factors at play, and a bad (or rushed) decision is costly in the long term.
However, there are some great books that can help your hiring strategy straight away.
- Hiring for attitude, by Mark Murphy
- High-Impact Interview Questions, by Victoria A. Hoevemeyer
- Punk Rock People Management, by Peter Cook
- Topgrading, by Bradford D. Smart
- Hiring a Superstar, by Adam Butler
Situation 1: you keep hiring the wrong people
Hiring for attitude: A Revolutionary Approach to Recruiting and Selecting People with Both Tremendous Skills and Superb Attitude, by Mark Murphy
If you put skills first when hiring, and are quick to throw away a CV, this book might change your hiring plan.
It puts attitude above skills (while promising to help you hire candidates with both) in the list of hiring criteria.
By looking at factors such as emotional intelligence, coachability, and motivation, the book stresses the importance of matching company and employee attitude.
Situation 2: you’re new to conducting interviews (or hopeless at it)
High-Impact Interview Questions: 701 Behavior-Based Questions to Find the Right Person for Every Job, by Victoria A. Hoevemeyer
Not sure which interview questions you should be asking, or looking for something beyond the usual “So, tell me about yourself?”
Then this book is the one – a comprehensive treasure trove of questions that you can tailor to any candidate and role.
Brilliant if you’re looking for inspiration or if you feel your usual interview questions just don’t cut the mustard.
Situation 3: you need to learn quickly
Punk Rock People Management, by Peter Cook
Rushed for time? Need something snappy to teach you how to make the right hire fast? Or simply fancy yourself as a bit anti-establishment?
Corporate hiring doesn’t have to mean a corporate hiring process (necessarily) – this book provides techniques learnt from, um, punk rock!
It’s snappy and no-nonsense, and the chapters are named after songs!
Situation 4: you want to hire the best (and make them better)
Topgrading: How Leading Companies Win by Hiring, Coaching and Keeping the Best People, by Bradford D. Smart
This classic HR book talks about not only how you can hire the best candidates, but how you can turn your ‘B-grade’ employees into ‘A-grade’ employees.
It focuses on coaching, training and encouragement.
The hiring process doesn’t end at signing the contract, after all.
If you want the best staff, it’s your responsibility to keep looking after them!
Situation 5: you’re new to hiring and you’re terrified
Hiring a Superstar – the ULTIMATE Talent Finder Toolkit, by Adam Butler
This modern guide is a great starting point for your hiring strategy.
This is more recent, so you won’t fall prey to outdated information!
The comprehensive approach goes over all the aspects of hiring that you might be anxious about. This inclues from advertising, interviewing, and retaining your key staff.