A company may grow in size as it adds new people to its team, but to grow in the direction of its long term goals, it has to find the right people. Any recruiter knows the importance of this task and certainly knows how difficult it can be. We've compiled some of the best tips for finding the talent that fits your companies needs.

  1. Make strategic, tactical and operational hires. When an agile company needs to shift to achieve business goals, you need your hires to be able to shift with you. In this context, understanding the landscape of recruitment tools becomes pivotal. Delve into this detailed guide on strategic recruitment platforms, offering insights into efficient and cost-effective alternatives for talent acquisition. Look for hires with a knack for seeing the broader strategic goals, figuring out the best operational practices, and going after the tactical pieces that help get the engine started.
  2. Recognize organizational shifts and hire people who can focus on immediate productivity. It is crucial to find hires equipped with the skillset to immediately and efficiently elevate function. Providing learning opportunities (vertical, functional, reach, etc.) is a great way to ensure you have a true win-win hire for both the candidate and company. Consider partnering with a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) to access expertise in talent acquisition, training, and development, ensuring that your team is well-prepared for success.
  3. Preach the cultural values of your company. At 8x8, we play to win. We are proud and competitive and seek people with a winner's attitude. From onboarding forward, we are intentional in sharing this value with our hires while reinforcing how our team members contribute to our company's winning culture. Consider your company's values while looking for recruits to ensure a good fit.
  4. Optimize your company size. If your company is large, then focus on specialized folks who know their function and role and can dive deep. If your company is small, focus on the opportunity for breadth and exposure as well as creating processes and programs from scratch. Every size company has a plus, you need to help your candidates optimize their opportunities.
  5. Target your competitors. Not only learn from what they are doing better than you in the marketplace, bring/steal/woo some (or a lot) of their talent in-house to do it for you first-hand. for example from Upwork vs Freelancer, to find the perfect fit for your company. Think about the street view of your company and your competitors and let their perceived strengths inspire you to be better than them as they do best.
  6. Culture, Culture, Culcha! If your recruitment team is not working on crafting an exceptional candidate experience. You can achieve this by building a top-notch work environment and a presence in social media that illustrates the moods, the unique events or opportunities, the color, and the feel of your company. Check out the Life at 8x8 Instagram channel for a great example. Trumpet your culture and encourage employees to engage continuously. It starts with an interview, but it ends with a company that has merged in purpose and fun.
  7. Assessment of skills is key to great hiring. Hone in on the day to day skills needed for the job and really probe in those areas. You may even provide precise data onsite for feedback from a candidate. A common technical hiring mistake is to spend too much time on specific tools or environments instead of general strengths and the ability to learn.
  8. Collaboration and assessment of purpose is the key to hiring happiness and success. The more you involve hiring leaders, HR, finance and key team members in the hiring, the more you can learn. When you and the hiring team focus on purpose and fleshing out the open roles, both you and your hires will.

In technology, it is essential to keep your hiring and retention strategies current and aligned with your company. Don’t just try to hunt heads, but use the brainpower your collective teams to think through functional impacts on company goals. Punch up your playbook and build a collaborative team that is versatile and scrappy enough to help you achieve all the goals you set-- no matter how many times they change. Playing to win begins by recruiting to win.