How to hire the strongest and most capable employees, without relying on outdated, shallow and defective H.R. Applicant Tracking Systems,

1. How Hiring Managers Qualify and Select
High-Potential Candidates
Theodore Sprink, Managing Director, Integrated Growth
Strategies
Top candidates for key positions are rarely identified through word recognition programs, canned questions
and automated Applicant Tracking Systems, often designed for high-volume environments to save time and
money for the employer.
• As a hiring manager I would like to see a new focus on identifying candidates capable of
articulating job specific problem-solving Action Plans and Timelines to their prospective
employers.
• Recruiters and Hiring Managers should be required to do their jobs by requiring and reading the
Action Plans and Timelines for the purpose of identifying the best candidates.
Most of us are familiar with Liz Ryan, CEO and Founder of the Colorado-based Human Workplace and
Dr. Jon Warner, the Los Angeles-based Executive CEO Coach & Management Expert.
Though they sometimes propose different approaches to team building, their experience, expertise and
accessibility serve as a tremendous resource to those of us responsible to recruit, train, mentor, coach and
motivate producers within our organizations.
As a business executive I have tremendous respect and admiration for both Liz and Dr. Warner. The quality
of their many posts and essays, widely published in leading national journals, are outstanding.

2. I would also like to refer to an excerpt from Management Consultant, Muzamil Abdelkarim's post, "After
careful consideration of your credentials, we regret to inform you..." with my view of the recruiting process,
which addresses the writings of the above-mentioned experts from my perspective.
In my experience, many applicants cleverly craft their resume to “job-the-system” thereby beating the
automated word recognition algorithm. Even those resumes surviving the automated process are reported
by leading recruiters to be receiving but a few mere seconds for review by an actual human.
This hardly seems the way to identify and recruit top talent. Some may see this as a model for eliminating,
not attracting, top talent.
The recruiting process should revolve around a candidate setting forth a realistic plan for his or her initial
stages of employment.
• Candidates should be required to submit a 30-60-90 day Action Plan and Timeline describing their
initial activities in contributing to the success of the prospective employer (and by extension, their
own personal success).
• I am not referring to a Business Plan...but Action Plans and Timelines...that provide an opportunity
for the candidate to demonstrate creativity, communication skills, intellect, industry experience,
and their cultural fit by virtue of what they would do in 30-60-90 day increments.
• As the hiring manager I want to hear the candidate’s proposed Action Plan and Timeline for the
first 90 days on the job. A one-page summary of bullet points, delineated by 30-60-90 days, would
be ideal.
This approach will tell me everything I need to know about the candidate’s expertise, experience, creativity,
initiative, industry knowledge, confidence, communication skills and cultural fit.
IS THIS NOT THE POINT OF THE RECRUITING PROCESS?
I recognize the limitations of HR resources to address the high volume of applicants. And, I appreciate
attempting to qualify candidates in a cost-effective electronic key-word scan of a resume.
But my job is to develop and implement strategic initiatives that represent solutions to problems facing my
client’s unique brand. I craft strategies to drive revenue, enhance brand equity and increase market share.
To do so requires finding and hiring the best talent available.
• My experience is that today’s common high-volume methodology of “screening” candidates fails
in its intention for both candidates and employers.
• My recommendation is that recruiters limit the number of candidates, within a window of time, in
order that cover letters be legitimately tied to resumes; and that candidate Action Plans & Timelines
be fully considered for the benefit of the hiring manager and in fairness to the candidate.
Write to me at tsprink@integrated-growth.com if you would like to see a sample of the "30-60-90 day Action
Plan and Timeline" format and content I consider ideal. I can be contacted directly at 760-604-0277.
Ted Sprink is the Managing Director of "Integrated Growth Strategies", an advisory firm established in
2011 to develop and implement marketing strategies and sales initiatives for growth-stage companies.