The war for talent: selection skills for busy managers

Whatever the job opportunities immediately on offer, appointing the right people generally means appointing bright people. Those with positive attitudes will be more likely to exceed their immediate job brief, grow within the organisation concerned and make a long-term contribution to its bottom line. Researchers have thus generally agreed that top performing organisations pay particular attention to recruiting good people.1 One study explored the distinguishing traits of those organisations that make the transition from being merely good in their field to sustained greatness.2 Among their key attributes was a special emphasis on recruiting the right people, generally defined by their overall attitude. Indeed, the drive to recruit and retain the best has been dubbed ‘The war for talent’.3 In the struggle to get the right people on board, the interview remains one of the most common tools of selection.