Thanks to GumboWriters.com for sending me a promotional copy of the new book “The Trouble with HR – An Insider’s Guide to Finding and Keeping the Best People” by Johnny Taylor and Gary Stern, 2009, American Management Association.  I also received a copy of a promotional interview with Johnny Taylor regarding his book.  The interview follows my review below.

As far as HR books go “The Trouble With HR” is an interesting and quick read.  The authors adhere to the increasingly popular and accepted idea that human resources, particularly employee recruitment and selection, should be a key element in any business’ overall strategy and planning.  Some novel ideas are also suggested.

One particularly interesting concept is that corporate “talent acquisition professionals” (in-house recruiters) average about $75k per year along with a 1%-4% annual merit increase.  However, in order to maximize their performance it’s better to treat and compensate them like sales professionals.  Recruiters should be paid a base salary of $45k-$50k and “adding commissions based on a variety of factors” (Pp. 52-53).

One area that’s lacking is in statistical research and analysis to support how HR should be a core strategic function.  More specifically, there’s some discussion of the costs versus benefits aspects of effective HR, just not enough of it.  I suppose that deference should be given to the authors’ expertise in the field of HR.  But, it’s still a more potent argument to support the advantages of HR via costs analysis and empirical research supporting its advantages and impact on profit.  The authors seem to understand this contention too because they point out that “HR needs to evaluate its efforts and make sure that it is not only measuring but assessing what the business actually needs to know” (P. 171).

Overall, to get an idea of what HR experts think of recruiting and selection in 2009, this is a good read.  The Johnny Taylor interview is below.

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We had a chance to catch up with Johnny C. Taylor, Jr  and talk to him about his new book The Trouble With HR. Johnny was nice enough to sit down and answer some of our questions regarding hiring strategies and tell us a little about the real trouble with HR.

 

How should social networking sites be used when hiring employees?

Social networking sites should be used in the hiring process as an additional reference check tool. A good reference check protocol involves speaking with current and past employers and colleagues, criminal history, and even credit history in some cases.  Now employers can add to this list a review of what it is publicly available about a candidate on the internet.  Employers should keep in mind, however, that all negative information contained about a person on a social networking site is true. Therefore, employers should be careful to independently confirm what they learn from these sites.

Who do you understand the audience of this book to be?

This book is for anyone who is responsible for hiring or managing people — large and small businesses, not for profit organizations, and government employers alike.

What are some ways you can get your employees to fall in love with your company, thereby increasing retention?

There are four easy steps to live by. First you want to reward people fairly and in line with the

marketplace. Secondly always treat staff well; focus on recognizing every employee’s contributions. Also, Train employees and improve skills on their current job. And last but not least, Develop your most talented employees whom you think have leadership potential.

How has retention evolved in the last five to ten years?

Over the last decade, finding and retaining the best talent has become one of the most difficult challenges facing employers.  So now, retention is the name of the game.  Companies have always understood the importance and criticality of having a strong talent acquisition function.  Now, they realize it is equally compelling to have a strong retention function as well.  There is no point in spending millions of dollars recruiting “stars” only to lose them.

You can learn more about Johnny C. Taylor Jr. and check out his new book at The Trouble With HR at theTroublewithHR.com