On your marks, get set, GO! The race for talent is on

We’re gearing up for a wild time in the job market. Masks are coming off and life is getting back to normal. Companies are implementing growth plans and individuals who’ve been “sheltering in job” are updating their resumes. Those who aren’t actively looking are now open to a well-presented opportunity. Even good companies and managers will be scrambling for talent.

As a business leader, your personal success is dependent on having the right people in place. Here are three things you can do to ensure that you’re well-positioned.

Share the Love. Spend some time with your top performers. Let them know you appreciate and recognize them and their contributions. Talk with them about their career goals and make a plan to help them get there. People work for people. Your best are less likely to respond to competitive opportunities when they’ve got a solid future where they are and a supportive manager who’s got their back.

Streamline your hiring process, so you’re ready to roll when the need arises. Companies with sluggish hiring practices will lose top talent to more nimble competitors. Tighten up your interview process and feedback loops. In a candidate-driven market, you also need to lead with a candidate-focused Employer Value Proposition that details why the person you seek would want to work for you and your company. While you’re at it, scrap your traditional job description’s list of requirements in favor of a Performance Profile that clearly defines the success metrics by which your new hire will be judged. This will help ensure that the person you hire not only can do the job but also wants to do the job.

Put your oxygen mask on first. We’ve all heard this expression. Strong leaders attract strong candidates. The strongest leaders have a clear vision – and you cannot share your vision if it’s murky. It’s important that you conduct your personal career audit – are you in the right place? Are you well-positioned for your next career step? Do you even know what that step should be? Top talent will follow their leader into the fray – as long as that leader knows where they’re going.

I can’t guarantee that you won’t lose anyone as the job market picks up, or that you’ll land every candidate you go after – but following these three steps will help. And so will I. Call me.

Debbie Harper is the President of Harper Hewes Executive Search and Recruiting, a boutique search firm. She has over 25 years of experience helping software, consulting, and services firms build, grow, and level up their leadership and teams by targeted direct recruiting (headhunting.) She is reached at www.harperhewes.com or +1 585-321-1700.