5 Presidential Quotes to Inspire your Recruitment

February 17, 2014 at 5:25 AM by Rob Stevenson

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Happy Presidents' Day, recruiting pros! To commemorate the inspiring leaders of our nation's past, and to continue sharpening the skills ofour sourcing friends everywhere, we've put together a handful of quotes from various Commanders-in-Chief that directly relate to your talent acquisition efforts. Bear in mind these words of wisdom when sourcing, interviewing, evaluating, and following up with candidates.
 

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
— Calvin Coolidge

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President Coolidge's words here are happily applicable to the interview process. While evaluating candidates, never lose sight of the forest for the trees. Yes, education, relevant abilities, and acuity are all crucial details, but getting a sense of a candidates' work ethic and general desire for the position are also paramount. Try asking questions about large projects your interviewee has worked on, and of course, make sure they took the time to do their research on your organization.

 

If I become president, I will have a Cabinet that looks like America.

— Bill Clinton

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It is difficult to overstate the importance of company culture in the hiring process. Vetting candidates for their ability to seamlessly fit side-by-side with your current team and represent the emerging values of your organization will work wonders not just for company morale, but also for your retention rates.

 

Americans still believe in an America where anything's possible — they just don't think their leaders do.
— Barack Obama

Screen Shot 2014-02-17 at 12.39.31 PMOur current President taps into an often overlooked detail of why candidates choose a new organization -- the leadership. Strong leadership provides vision and a sense of mission among employees. According to Entelo research, sense of mission is one of the most important aspects to talent when it comes to evaluating company culture. Provide positive and illuminative details about the leadership in your organization so candidates get a clear idea the company's overall goals.

 

It is better to be alone than in bad company.

— George Washington

Screen Shot 2014-02-17 at 12.41.04 PMHere, the Father of our Country stresses for us the value of arguably the most important recruitment metric, Quality of Hire. When it comes to hiring, making no hire is far preferable to making a bad hire, as poor employees can be wildly expensive in terms of time, compensation, and potential damages to organizational systems (particularly in the case of a bad engineer). As a recruiter in a quickly growing organization, you may feel pressure to fill desks, but remember never to hire people for the sake of making hires.

 

The pay is good and I can walk to work.

— John F. Kennedy

Screen Shot 2014-02-17 at 12.39.52 PMWhat were JFK's two favorite things about his job? Compensation and location, of course! Never ignore the importance of employee development, culture, and leadership in your recruiting pitch, but remember that for obvious reasons, pay will be top of mind. Location will also be the deciding factor for many candidates, as relocation is simply unfeasible for many. Tactfully working these two issues into your recruitment efforts at relatively early stages can save you a great deal of time and frustration.

 

Do you have some favorite Presidential quotes that relate to your career? Share them in the comments or tweet @EnteloRob!

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