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How to Hire A-Players: Finding the Top People for Your Team- Even If You Don't Have a Recruiting Department
How to find great employees, make great hires, and take your business to the next level It is always easy to find people who want a job, but it's never easy to find and hire A-players. In How to Hire A-Players, consultant Eric Herrenkohl shows owners, executives, and managers of small and medium-size businesses where and how to find A-player employees. It is these individuals who will help keep quality high and growth and profits strong. Herrenkohl explains how to use your existing marketing, sales, and networking efforts to find top candidates. He provides current examples of companies that consistently hire A-players without big recruiting departments as well as step-by-step explanations for making these strategies work in your own company. A-player employees are the life blood of any growing business. This handy hiring guide shows you where to look, what to ask, and who to hire to boost your business today
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
34 people are currently reading
387 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 2, 2019
0 new ideas for myself, might be useful for a manager who started hiring first time in their life.
Do not agree with the advice to keep interviewing people when you don't have open position - totally irrelevant for small businesses.
Do not agree with the advice to keep interviewing people when you don't have open position - totally irrelevant for small businesses.
February 26, 2021
This book changed my business and as a result, changed my life.
Recruiting and hiring is no longer my biggest problem. In fact it’s not even a problem anymore. We’ve doubled our company since I started this book, lost our C players and replaced with A players. We are on the verge of doubling again and we’ve got a farm team of quality people waiting in the wings.
This book will show you how to create A player profiles which are basically written out examples of your dream candidate. I didn’t realize how aimless my hiring was until I read this book. Now I know who I’m looking for on my teams, how they act, what their main qualities are, and even some desirables that seem counterintuitive but have proven otherwise. I even know where to find them and how to attract them. I feel bad for my competition to be honest. If you’re an employer or biz owner, you should read this book. If you have issues with finding and retaining help, you should read this right now.
Recruiting and hiring is no longer my biggest problem. In fact it’s not even a problem anymore. We’ve doubled our company since I started this book, lost our C players and replaced with A players. We are on the verge of doubling again and we’ve got a farm team of quality people waiting in the wings.
This book will show you how to create A player profiles which are basically written out examples of your dream candidate. I didn’t realize how aimless my hiring was until I read this book. Now I know who I’m looking for on my teams, how they act, what their main qualities are, and even some desirables that seem counterintuitive but have proven otherwise. I even know where to find them and how to attract them. I feel bad for my competition to be honest. If you’re an employer or biz owner, you should read this book. If you have issues with finding and retaining help, you should read this right now.
May 13, 2021
Review TBW.
October 3, 2023
Solid information and timeless advice for any business looking to recruit top talent. General takeaways and notes below:
- A is a player who performs significantly better than others for that position. Author argues to heavily reallocate resources towards A and away from non-As (agree to disagree). Put everything into recruiting As, and avoid Cs as they don’t become As, regardless of development plans. Bs with specific coaching and mentorship can become As. Limiting responsibilities of Bs can turn them into specialized As in limited, defined roles. Create organizational chart, define needed roles, define success and the responsibilities in each role (metric that success).
- define what an A is for the job you’re filling (ex: who is the prototype of success in that role, who has been successful and who hasn’t).
- You need to interview lots of people for As. Prestigious place doesn’t equal success. Who in your group is successful, search & interview for similarities. Identify red flags make sure everyone identifies the red flags.
- 3 steps: 1) develop A mindset 2) interview constantly to hunt for As 3) farm team - recruit before u need them. Hunting for A more important than hunting for role - focus on finding A players and not B that fills role. As work for people not for companies! Keep in touch with people - get a system for staying connected with As.
- Employee referrals can get As. Incentivize (employee referral bonus). Don’t hire friends or family (unless they’re As). Over communicate during the interview process. Have a list of people who would be great hires, but perhaps it didn’t work out at this time, but keep them in your minor leagues so when something opens you can call them. Don’t burn bridges. You can turn Bs into As by narrowing scope of work assuming they work hard and have integrity. Expand network by meeting a new contact every week. Harder to find A players, C players sell themselves better since they’re always interviewing bc they can’t get what they want in existing job. As are usually well entrenched in a job bc they’re good, paid well, supported accordingly so you need to convince why you’re job is better or wait for their situation to change. Regularly meet with As and find where they want to go in organization - let them know where they fit in the organization - and use incentives that keep them (money/resources!).
- Be active, not passive, socialize, go to CME events and meetings to find future As, be aggressive and make connections. Stay at networking events until the end, after everyone has spoken to who they want, and stops looking for the next best convo. Then delve deep and form true connections. Become an influencer by joining boards, adjunct professors, committees, etc - be active not passive.
- Find new pools 1) family men/women through flexible work/pay to accommodate needs 2) recruit at academic institutions 3) alumni network
- Online recruiting: 1) need good webpage w employment info with applications - communicate what u want and what you don’t want. 2) search and suss out applicants on social media (linkedin, FB, twitter), find mutual contacts, learn about them and contact others as needed. 3) When posting don’t just promote yourself - build followers 2) online job boards (tho social media still wins)
- Outside Recruiters: use when need help, need connections, networks, and want to look everywhere. They cost a lot but can be worth it. Recruiter must know your business, know details of job, be honest, transparent with their process, be professional and good rep for your company. The more specialized their niche the better they’ll be. Hire the recruiter not the firm (take class for professor not the class, surgeon not the hospital, etc). Contingency vs retainment - depends on $ pay usually 20-30% first year salary.
- Interviewing: be systematic 1) define your A profile bf u start interviewing 2) create basic interview scorecard 3) conduct multiple interviews 4) use multiple interviewers (use teams, group interview) 5) open ended questions about past accomplishments & follow up questions to delve deeper 6) listen>talk, don’t try to fill silence or stop interviews early - make them answer questions 7) call references and let applicants know you’ll contact them! 8) interact with applicants in casual setting and watch them interact
- Assessment tools: online tests can measure candidates’ abilities, drive, skills, behaviors (online sales assessment). Drives some objectivity. Cannot just use gut feeling. We lack these in anesthesia - maybe can incorporate. Need more than technical skill, need cultural fit, each environment has unique culture. Apparently cultural tools can assess this, though book isn’t specific about where to find this test. Will need insight into someone’s drive, both past accomplishments and desire to future success. Drive vs self-esteem. Consider illicit drug tests. 1) identify candidates 2) review CV 3) screen (phone for ex) 4) interview + online assessment 5) review interview & assessment results 6) invite second round interviews 7) check references 8) identify As
- A is a player who performs significantly better than others for that position. Author argues to heavily reallocate resources towards A and away from non-As (agree to disagree). Put everything into recruiting As, and avoid Cs as they don’t become As, regardless of development plans. Bs with specific coaching and mentorship can become As. Limiting responsibilities of Bs can turn them into specialized As in limited, defined roles. Create organizational chart, define needed roles, define success and the responsibilities in each role (metric that success).
- define what an A is for the job you’re filling (ex: who is the prototype of success in that role, who has been successful and who hasn’t).
- You need to interview lots of people for As. Prestigious place doesn’t equal success. Who in your group is successful, search & interview for similarities. Identify red flags make sure everyone identifies the red flags.
- 3 steps: 1) develop A mindset 2) interview constantly to hunt for As 3) farm team - recruit before u need them. Hunting for A more important than hunting for role - focus on finding A players and not B that fills role. As work for people not for companies! Keep in touch with people - get a system for staying connected with As.
- Employee referrals can get As. Incentivize (employee referral bonus). Don’t hire friends or family (unless they’re As). Over communicate during the interview process. Have a list of people who would be great hires, but perhaps it didn’t work out at this time, but keep them in your minor leagues so when something opens you can call them. Don’t burn bridges. You can turn Bs into As by narrowing scope of work assuming they work hard and have integrity. Expand network by meeting a new contact every week. Harder to find A players, C players sell themselves better since they’re always interviewing bc they can’t get what they want in existing job. As are usually well entrenched in a job bc they’re good, paid well, supported accordingly so you need to convince why you’re job is better or wait for their situation to change. Regularly meet with As and find where they want to go in organization - let them know where they fit in the organization - and use incentives that keep them (money/resources!).
- Be active, not passive, socialize, go to CME events and meetings to find future As, be aggressive and make connections. Stay at networking events until the end, after everyone has spoken to who they want, and stops looking for the next best convo. Then delve deep and form true connections. Become an influencer by joining boards, adjunct professors, committees, etc - be active not passive.
- Find new pools 1) family men/women through flexible work/pay to accommodate needs 2) recruit at academic institutions 3) alumni network
- Online recruiting: 1) need good webpage w employment info with applications - communicate what u want and what you don’t want. 2) search and suss out applicants on social media (linkedin, FB, twitter), find mutual contacts, learn about them and contact others as needed. 3) When posting don’t just promote yourself - build followers 2) online job boards (tho social media still wins)
- Outside Recruiters: use when need help, need connections, networks, and want to look everywhere. They cost a lot but can be worth it. Recruiter must know your business, know details of job, be honest, transparent with their process, be professional and good rep for your company. The more specialized their niche the better they’ll be. Hire the recruiter not the firm (take class for professor not the class, surgeon not the hospital, etc). Contingency vs retainment - depends on $ pay usually 20-30% first year salary.
- Interviewing: be systematic 1) define your A profile bf u start interviewing 2) create basic interview scorecard 3) conduct multiple interviews 4) use multiple interviewers (use teams, group interview) 5) open ended questions about past accomplishments & follow up questions to delve deeper 6) listen>talk, don’t try to fill silence or stop interviews early - make them answer questions 7) call references and let applicants know you’ll contact them! 8) interact with applicants in casual setting and watch them interact
- Assessment tools: online tests can measure candidates’ abilities, drive, skills, behaviors (online sales assessment). Drives some objectivity. Cannot just use gut feeling. We lack these in anesthesia - maybe can incorporate. Need more than technical skill, need cultural fit, each environment has unique culture. Apparently cultural tools can assess this, though book isn’t specific about where to find this test. Will need insight into someone’s drive, both past accomplishments and desire to future success. Drive vs self-esteem. Consider illicit drug tests. 1) identify candidates 2) review CV 3) screen (phone for ex) 4) interview + online assessment 5) review interview & assessment results 6) invite second round interviews 7) check references 8) identify As
December 22, 2024
“How to Hire A-Players” is a fantastic in-depth discussion on what should be the key focus of every entrepreneur’s vision for the future: recruiting.
I wasn’t expecting such a powerful look at what makes hiring the right people so crucial for both small and big business. The author of this read does a fantastic job of helping you to reconsider what you believe to be important about taking your firm, startup, or business to the next level. I’ve always considered recruiting and hiring people to be somewhat of a nuisance, and that we hire when the people that we thought were the right people have had to be fired or let go and now we have to fix the problem. What an embarrassing thought!
As the author would state, “Don’t try to turn a recruiting problem into a coaching solution.” to really grow the firm we must always be interviewing and looking for those that will make major contributions to take us to the next level. Relationships are the key strategic advantage of our competitors and the sooner I embrace that reality the better I will become.
I would absolutely recommend this read to anyone that is in a management role and looking to grow their team and their influence to the next level.
I wasn’t expecting such a powerful look at what makes hiring the right people so crucial for both small and big business. The author of this read does a fantastic job of helping you to reconsider what you believe to be important about taking your firm, startup, or business to the next level. I’ve always considered recruiting and hiring people to be somewhat of a nuisance, and that we hire when the people that we thought were the right people have had to be fired or let go and now we have to fix the problem. What an embarrassing thought!
As the author would state, “Don’t try to turn a recruiting problem into a coaching solution.” to really grow the firm we must always be interviewing and looking for those that will make major contributions to take us to the next level. Relationships are the key strategic advantage of our competitors and the sooner I embrace that reality the better I will become.
I would absolutely recommend this read to anyone that is in a management role and looking to grow their team and their influence to the next level.
March 29, 2025
A short clearly written overview of all the key elements of hiring great people. Though all the sections will not apply to everyone at every company and every career stage, the advice is worth coming back to as your career moves forward.
It is a bit light on very practical next steps but it is relatively easy to take the general principles and come up with concrete ways to put them into practice
It is a bit light on very practical next steps but it is relatively easy to take the general principles and come up with concrete ways to put them into practice
October 13, 2022
I highly recomend this book to any manager / leader.
A must for such a top priority topic for any management related business person.
It is somewhat superficial on some of the topics it addresses, but goes in depth on others.
Anyhow, provides a good overview of the topic and provides some good insights even for experienced HR teams.
A must for such a top priority topic for any management related business person.
It is somewhat superficial on some of the topics it addresses, but goes in depth on others.
Anyhow, provides a good overview of the topic and provides some good insights even for experienced HR teams.
December 8, 2019
We used this text to help formulate our hiring process (along with Who).
This is the best I have seen for sourcing. If you are in an industry where talent is hard to find this book will help you source - find it. A lot of the methods are surprising, but effective.
Highly recommended!
This is the best I have seen for sourcing. If you are in an industry where talent is hard to find this book will help you source - find it. A lot of the methods are surprising, but effective.
Highly recommended!
Read
January 21, 2016"How to Hire A-Players" is the hiring managers' guide that answers the question "how do I build my bench for when I have an open requisition in my department?" This book plants the seed that we need to consciously developing our "bench" of potential candidates for when we have to interview. This book goes into extensive detail of how to build what the author references as your "farm team" of talent to interview when you have a position open.
Published in 2010, Eric Herrenkohl's book is must read for anyone in an HR position connected to talent development and recruiting. Only two hundred pages long, every chapter of this book has over three actionable items and it is highly practicable. Secondly, if you reverse the concepts, the ideas can help you improve your job search as well.
"How to Hire A-Players" first key point is that to hire A-Players you have to define the behavior and achievements that make an A-Player for your company and the positions within your department. Without creating an A-Player profile, you will not be able recognize when you meet them.
Then the author moves on to how to create a culture within your department and company of building your "farm team" of talent for future interviews. The author notes that the more you and your team start building your farm team the easier it will be to hire an A-Player when a position opens in your department. A side effect of this culture is that it allows you to deal with poor performers more effectively. First, poor performers will not be able to keep up with the pace of the A-Players. Secondly, you eliminate the risk of not having a replacement for a poor performer when you make the decision of letting them go.
This book informs the reader of ways to build your bench from all aspects of business activities. The author makes you conscious of the fact that you can find talent for your bench from a) the web, b) Toastmaster meetings, c) training programs, d) professional associations, e) internal departments, f) customers, and even clients.
The best way to win the war for talent is to build relationships with A-Players and compare them to other A-Players. This book helps you take the first steps towards building a bench of the best of the best employees.
Published in 2010, Eric Herrenkohl's book is must read for anyone in an HR position connected to talent development and recruiting. Only two hundred pages long, every chapter of this book has over three actionable items and it is highly practicable. Secondly, if you reverse the concepts, the ideas can help you improve your job search as well.
"How to Hire A-Players" first key point is that to hire A-Players you have to define the behavior and achievements that make an A-Player for your company and the positions within your department. Without creating an A-Player profile, you will not be able recognize when you meet them.
Then the author moves on to how to create a culture within your department and company of building your "farm team" of talent for future interviews. The author notes that the more you and your team start building your farm team the easier it will be to hire an A-Player when a position opens in your department. A side effect of this culture is that it allows you to deal with poor performers more effectively. First, poor performers will not be able to keep up with the pace of the A-Players. Secondly, you eliminate the risk of not having a replacement for a poor performer when you make the decision of letting them go.
This book informs the reader of ways to build your bench from all aspects of business activities. The author makes you conscious of the fact that you can find talent for your bench from a) the web, b) Toastmaster meetings, c) training programs, d) professional associations, e) internal departments, f) customers, and even clients.
The best way to win the war for talent is to build relationships with A-Players and compare them to other A-Players. This book helps you take the first steps towards building a bench of the best of the best employees.
March 31, 2013
This is the most simple and practical how to manual on how to find and hire A Players. A great book but the onus is on the reader to first create a culture that will attract A players, and then support the A players. It's far too easy to hire A players and have them turn into B Players.
This is Eric's definition of a True A player:
Hire people who can do the job better than you can, people who
are solutions-oriented and to whom you can hand off a task to and not have to
think about it again or worry that it isn’t getting done.
This is Eric's definition of a True A player:
Hire people who can do the job better than you can, people who
are solutions-oriented and to whom you can hand off a task to and not have to
think about it again or worry that it isn’t getting done.
November 21, 2014
Practical, no-nonsense approach to building superior teams
February 2, 2017
Must read book for any business!
August 30, 2014
Way too long for the message.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews