5 steps to avoid bad hires: It's not just an art, it's science

From Drew Greenblatt’s latest column in Inc. magazine on how we bring more science to the art of landing good hires at Marlin Steel:

The Hall-of-Famer Ted Williams famously said baseball is “the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of 10 and be considered a good performer.”

Maybe not the only one: The same could be said for hiring.

Hiring and retaining the best people is one of the most critical jobs the owner or manager of a company has. In surveys, most rate their success at about one excellent hire out of four. The other three either weren’t a good fit or didn’t have the ability that their training or resume indicated. The worst part? While good hires energize those around them, bad hires become energy drains. Bad hires dampen productivity and suck up management time and attention.

Here are five things we’ve done at Marlin Steel that may help you hire and retain top performers. Read more ...