Topgrading

Build Your Virtual Bench of 40 A Players in 3 Months

In four books on hiring and selection I’ve recommended minimizing the use of recruiters and ads, and instead filling jobs with people you already know – A players. We recommend having a virtual bench consisting of 20 A players who are pre-screened and might join you – plus 20 A players who wouldn’t work for you (because they are too highly paid, geographically challenged, etc.) but they know a lot of A players and can recommend them. When an opening occurs, Topgraders:

• contact the As who might join them, and if none will, they
• contact the sources of As, for referrals.

In the Q&A section of every speech, teleseminar, and workshop, someone asks:

Question: How can I build my virtual bench? It would take years to do, wouldn’t it?

Answer: Nope. Here’s how:

   1.  Go through your Rolodex, Palm Pilot, and Address Book to find some A players or sources. Most people find 6 or 8 – more than they thought.

   2.  Ask your A player subordinates and other A player coworkers for names of A players you might hire or who might be sources.

   3.  Use the Topgrading Interview to get names. You can get a huge list of A players FAST. Here’s how:

Pages 13 and 14 of the Topgrading Interview Guide have sections in which a managerial candidate is asked to give the name, title, strengths, weak points, overall performance, and A/B/C rating for ALL direct reports (for the most recent 2 jobs). If you have 2 jobs open and do topgrading interview of 3 candidates for each job, and each finalist has 8 direct reports in the 2 jobs – do the math – you’ll have profiles of 96 people! Twenty-five might be A players, and you can contact them – at the appropriate time.

If you hire a person with A players in her virtual bench, her A players become yours, too. If you don’t hire someone it wouldn’t be right to pirate their people – until they take another job, which could be soon, since they are “looking.”

   4.  “Maintain” your virtual bench by staying in touch with them. Call, email, have lunch. Forward articles (like this one) that might interest them. Using your virtual bench, hiring will be quick (because you contact As you know), high quality (As are pre-screened), and inexpensive (no recruiter fees).