Research recruiting sites and poaching policies

Poaching another company’s employees is not for the faint-hearted biz owner, nor for the impetuous-natured. Before you make a move toward another business’ staff, do your homework on recruitment via poaching. Then you will be able to make an informed decision.

I recommend: To keep up to date on recruiting and staffing strategies, visit ERE, which contains thousands of pages relating to recruiting, including ERE Research, and ERE Daily, a daily column written by leading recruitment experts. Visit Our World for “Poaching Isn’t Just For Salmon Anymore” – and discover a goldmine of poaching tools, targets, and tips.

Hire a talent acquisition company

Yes, there are companies whose specialty is helping you acquire talent, even when your gain equals another company’s loss.

I recommend: Personalized Management Associates (PMA), “Talent Acquisition and Retention Specialists,” can help you “gain access to the TOP 10% of your competitors’ people,” and specializes in retail, restaurant, and service management placement. Their Competitive Intelligence page offers some great employer tools, including salary surveys and market status reports. PMA even offers a training seminar on Direct Candidate Sourcing – just click the link to find the PMA office nearest you for workshop details.

Network online

A great way to make contact with competitor’s employees is though business networking Web sites. Or visit social networking sites, the new place to “see and be seen,” even in the business world.

I recommend: Visit LinkedIn for a more formal feel, or check out the infamous MySpace and Facebook; all offer increasing opportunities for employees and companies to rub virtual elbows.

Hire them face-to-face

One of the best ways to find new employees is by attending industry-specific trade shows or professional conferences. This gives you the opportunity to assess the potential hires face-to-face, and to scope out several people from more than one of your competitors – all at one shot.

I recommend: For all things trade-show, check out TSSN.com, “The Ultimate Trade Show Resource,” where you can search more than 15,000 trade shows, conferences, and other events, and 30,000 seminars by industry, city, state, country, or show name.

Honor non-compete agreements

Today, lawsuits abound against companies that steal from another’s employee pool. In fact, your company can be held liable for “infringement of intellectual property rights and trade secrets.” During your interview with the possible new hire, make sure to inquire about any agreements of confidentiality, non-disclosure, or non-compete, and you’ll save a lot of money – and headaches – down the road.

I recommend: The Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) is a nonprofit membership organization for anyone involved in creating or managing business knowledge the legal way.

Get legal help

Even if your new hire didn’t have a non-compete or non-disclosure agreement, you can still land in hot water. A former employer can sue or seek an injunction in order to protect their company trade secrets based on a theory called “inevitable disclosure.” This theory claims that an employee will inevitably disclose trade secrets simply by performing their new job.

I recommend: Need an employment lawyer in your neck of the woods? Head to Lawyers.com, a free service that is specially designed for individuals and small businesses, and search their “Find a lawyer.” Another great place to find the right lawyers is at FindLaw for Small Business; look under the Employment and HR section for more info, or simply type in the type of practice and city for referrals to local attorneys.

Entice them with ownership

It’s a given that you’ll offer an increase in salary for an employee you’re trying to lure from your competitor, but don’t forget the importance of perks. One of today’s most coveted perks is an employee ownership program, so consider offering an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) or other ownership plan.

I recommend: Go to the experts at the Beyster Institute for all things ESOP, including how to choose the right program, and Beyster’s consulting services about setting up your company’s ESOP offerings. Fill out their quick, online form for a free consultation.