This is a Guest Blog by Paul Hemp of the Harvard Business Review

Hiring people? Who has time to think about that these days, when most organizations are trying to figure out who to lay off and how to do it humanely?

The Harvard Business Review says you're making a mistake if you don't carve out time to plot your hiring strategy, according to Claudio Fernández-Aráoz, a senior executive at the search firm Egon Zehnder International and the co-author--with Harvard Business School professors Boris Groysberg and Nitin Nohria--of an article in the May issue of Harvard Business Review, "The Definitive Guide to Recruiting in Good Times and Bad."

Although few companies are adding--or even replacing--people now, hiring will become a key source of competitive advantage as soon as the first signs of recovery appear on the horizon, says Fernández-Aráoz, who also is the author of the recently published book Great People Decisions.

In the current HarvardBusiness Ideacast, Fernández-Aráoz catalogs some of the mistakes people make when hiring and offers advice on avoiding them. One of the biggest errors is assuming that the worst thing that can happen is hiring someone who turns out to be a disaster. A potentially greater mistake: not hiring someone who would have been a star performer.

After you listen to the IdeaCast, you can also take Recruiting Practices Self-Assessment, a "painless, 21-question" quiz, developed by the authors, to see how your hiring practices stack up overall and in seven distinct sub-categories.

How can you be certain that you have optimized your recruiting website? Here’s a list of top website optimization tips to ensure the effectiveness of your website as a recruiting tool and one that will engage qualified drivers who visit.

Talk about your current team and highlight drivers that have been with you for many years and have achieved success driving for you. Add photos and possibly thumbnail sketches of these current drivers.

1. Tell them how your company supports its drivers to insure their success. Talk about your support staff and the tools/programs you've instituted to support employees.


2. Show how you have a team environment and highlight any extra-curricular activities and events in which they can participate as employees.


3. Ensure that your site layout is intuitive and easy for newcomers to navigate.


4. Use familiar link names that are recognizable and with which they will be instantly familiar.


5. Anticipate and answer all of their questions especially those about Pay Structure and Benefits.


6. Encourage them to complete your online application – today! Post a large and clearly visible Apply Now button. Don't make visitors search for it.


7. Describe your equipment. Tell them about trucks they will be driving and the newest technologies you have in place. If you are taking applications for Owner/Operators be sure you’re clear as to what equipment they will need to work with your firm.


8. Talk about Safety and Orientation.


9. Tell them about your recruiting and hiring processes so they will know when to expect a response from you.


10. Provide contact information so they can be sure to reach you by phone or e-mail.