Question:
You talk about creating a system for recruiting that would rival our equipment procurement system. Where do we start?

Response:
Think about that machine your company just purchased. If the price was north of $50,000, a bunch of people spent a lot of time looking at this machine in many different ways. Here is where it all started.

One, two or three people sat down and did a needs assessment. In that needs assessment, they asked some very fundamental questions.

• What do we need this machine to do for us?
• Is there another way, or another machine that would do a better job?
• At the end of the week, how much production do we need from this machine?
• What are the quality standards that we need from this machine?
• How will this machine interface with our current work flow?
• What kind of support will this machine require to sustain the productivity we need from it?
• What other customers like us are currently using this machine?
• How is this machine performing for them?
• If we grow, what capacity will this machine need, in reserve, to accommodate our growth?

Think about these questions. Replace the word “machine” with the word “person.” Think about the job description you are writing. This is where you start. -TF