Category:

* I met with just the #1 Human Resources executives of Global 100 companies, and they completed a survey revealing 80% of the managers they hire turn out to be mis-hires because their hiring methods are flawed. And they said that 75% of the people promoted turn out to be underperformers, mistakes they made because, again, their methods for picking talent are flawed. The non-Topgraders in this elite group hired people—or rather mis-hired 80%—by screening from résumés (that don't screen out C Players whose résumés are deceptive), conducting a series of 45- minute competency or behavioral interviews (which produce insufficient information and are simple for C Players to fake), and only doing reference calls with people the candidate chooses (and C Players list their buddies, not former bosses, as references).

 

* Human Resources is disappointing CEOs for failing to deliver talent. McKinsey Quarterly (January 2008) published an article ("Making Talent a Strategic Priority") in The War for Talent series, showing how the image of HR is mediocre and declining. Line managers say the so-called best practices of HR just don't work, and they complain that HR is not accountable for high quality of hires.

* Two hundred CEOs reported to us that they felt they got their money's worth from executive search firms only 21% of the time. (There are A Player executive search executives and you'll learn how to find them.)

* The American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC) conducted a study of quality of hires in which nineteen companies participated as case studies, sponsors, or both. Only one company, a Topgrading company, stood out for both measuring success accurately and for achieving more than 75% success hiring and promoting not just "okay" performers but high performers. Several global companies that had initially offered to participate dropped out of the study when it became clear that their hiring and promoting methods produce mediocre results. The full report is available at www.APQC.org.

As you can see, talent headaches are universal; you're not alone!

TOPGRADING SOLVES THE THREE BIGGEST HIRING PROBLEMS SO PROFOUNDLY, MANAGERS GET SUPERIOR TALENT AND THEIR ORGANIZATIONS PERFORM BETTER

Now for the good news. In this book you will read of the treatment and cure for your talent headaches, and it's not a pill. It's Topgrading methods that are revolutionary in infusing hiring with honesty, thoroughness, and verifiability of candidate information, producing 75% and even 90%+ success. That is such a dramatic improvement in talent at every level of every organization that dozens of CEOs quoted in this book state that Topgrading has definitely made their company more successful. Hence the subtitle of this edition of Topgrading.

HOW DOES TOPGRADING SOLVE THE THREE BIGGEST HIRING PROBLEMS?

High performers basically are truthful in their résumé and interviews, but low performers too often hype positives and hide negatives. Topgrading hiring has a "truth serum," replacing commonplace falsehoods in résumés and interviews with refreshing honesty. That "truth serum" is candidates understanding that eventually they will have to arrange reference calls with former bosses.

The Topgrading Interview cures the "lack of information" headache because it covers the total career—every success, failure, key decision, and key relationship, for every job. And Topgrading cures the "lack of verifiability" headache by requiring candidates to arrange reference calls with former bosses and others you choose. Aah...Topgrading brings truth and honesty, complete information on the candidate's career, and, as frosting on the cake, everything a candidate claims will be verified through reference checks that the candidate arranges.