30 • Invest time in developing relationships with university placement offices, recruit- ers, and executive search firms. • Enable current staff members to actively participate in industry professional asso- ciations and conferences where they are likely to meet candidates you may success- fully woo. • Watch the online job boards for potential candidates who may have resumes online even if they’re not currently looking. • Use professional association websites and magazines to advertise for professional staff. • Look for potential employees on LinkedIn and in other social media outlets. Bring your best prospects in to meet them be- fore you need them. The key is to build your candidate pool before you need it. 2. Hire the Sure Thing When Recruiting Employees The authors of The Human Capital Edge,Bruce N. Pfau and Ira T. Kay, are convinced that you should hire a person who has done this “ex- act job, in this exact industry, in this particular business climate, from a company with a very similar culture.” They believe that “past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior” and suggest that this is the strategy that will enable you to hire winners. They say that you must hire the candidates whom you believe can hit the ground running in your company. You can’t afford the time to train a possibly successful candidate. 3. Look First at In-House Candidates Providing promotional and lateral opportuni- ties for current employees positively boosts morale and makes your current staff mem- bers feel their talents, capabilities, and ac- complishments are appreciated. Always post positions internally first. Give potential candidates an interview. It’s a chance for you to know them better. They learn more about the goals and needs of the organization. Sometimes, a good fit is found between your needs and theirs. 4. Be Known as a Great Employer Pfau and Kay make a strong case for not just being a great employer but letting people know that you are a great employer. This is how you build your reputation and your com- pany brand. You’ll want the best prospects seeking you out because they respect and want to work for your brand. Google, who frequently tops Fortune’s Best Companies list, for example, receives around 3,000,000 appli- cations a year. Take a look at your employee practices for re- tention, motivation, accountability, reward, recognition, flexibility in work-life balance, promotion, and involvement. These are your key areas for becoming an em- ployer of choice. You want your employees bragging that your organization is a great place to work. People will believe the employees before they be- lieve the corporate literature.