The score is 21 -20 and your team’s score is 20.   The referee has just called time out at the final 2 minute mark.

Your team has possion of the ball when time resumes and you’re on your own 20 yard line. It’s a one possion ball game. It’s time for your 2 minute game plan.

Like top football teams, every top recruiting team needs a 2 minute game plan.

You’ll want to consider the 11 2-minute drill strategies listed below.[private]

When You Need a 2 Minute Strategy for hiring top employees the Most

You must have a 2 minute game plan when you have to move a candidate through your recruiting process in a very short period of time.

This happens most often when too much time elapses in closing top candidates already in your hiring process and you discover your top candidates now have competing offers.  You do communicate often enough with them to make that discovery don’t you?

This can also occur when you source a top candidate that is already well into their job search and have or about to have competing job offers.

What’s your strategy? How can you benefit from a 2 minute drill and what would that look like?

A Culture of Playing To Win

It starts with developing a winning culture. In today’s fast-paced competitive world, there’s little time for error or waste in hiring top talent.  Just like a well-disciplined football team, recruiters can adapt the techniques of winning football teams to ensure their hiring teams move the ball, score and win.

All too often employers are defeated while the clock is still ticking and they miss out on top talent!  HR/Recruiting Departments and their hiring management are frequently bogged down by sluggish recruiting practices that stifle change. They are unable to pick up the pace when necessary to score and win.

Winning means preparation before the game even begins. Once into the final 2 minutes, it means being able to communicate quickly and effectively, seizing control of the situation, adjusting quickly and – above all – executing!

A Frequent Symptom of Playing To Lose

One telling sign of a culture playing to lose can be seen where employers have adopted an attitude of “if we don’t get this person, there will be others that we can hire” and they just don’t seem to care about winning and getting a top employee.  This would be akin to a football team say, “we’ve already lost this one, but there’ll be other games.”

Any football coach that took that attitude and didn’t play with determination to win until the clock runs out would be fired quickly!

Develop Your 2 Minute Drill with 11 strategies

Improving your recruiting process, especially when competing for top candidates, can be achieved through applying the same principles that football teams do when executing their two-minute drills.

Top professional football teams must combine speed and execution. Winning teams often use both offensive and defensive talent during this time. They aren’t afraid to use talent in different roles during critical times when winning is on the line.

They practice working as a team and execute well-designed “play packages” – especially when there are just seconds left in the game and they need to score to win.

Here are 11 key elements of a winning 2 minute recruiting and hiring drill.

Select a leader. During the final 2 minutes leadership ultimately goes to the quarterback. It’s up to him to execute the 2 minute pre-game plan, but it goes beyond that.  Even after the coaching staff has called the play, he must analyze the defense in a matter of seconds and possibly call an audible play depending on his “read” of the defense.  Who on your recruiting team is accountable for orchestrating the overall 2 minute drill among your players?

Know the score. The quarterback must know the number of points required to win the game. Will that be a field goal or does it have to be a touchdown. Your hiring team must know what it will take to get the candidate to say yes. This goes beyond just compensation and likely includes other factors that are important to the candidate. Have you clearly established what is important to the candidate and whether you can provide that and if not, can you offer other things that might get the yes answer?  Knowing what will close the candidate means you know the score.

Operate with a sense of urgency. Seconds are critical to a football team during the final 2 minutes. Every play counts and every decision is magnified. Every team member on the field must execute their assignment with precision in a time compressed environment. Does everyone on your hiring team do that?

Keep track of the clock. The amount of time taken between plays, stopping the clock, and knowing just when to use remaining time-outs all become critical as the quarterback “manages the clock.”  Do you know how much time you really have before your candidate accepts another offer?  Have you built in some time for quick negotiations before time runs out?

Use the appropriate package of plays. The number of plays available during the 2 minute drill does not include all plays in the playbook. Plays in the 2 minute plan are typically designed to quickly move the chains (see below). This means abandoning certain ‘bread and butter” plays that are part of the overall game plan.

The 2 minute plays are often  much higher risk plays such as long pass plays.  We’ve all seen the “hail Mary” plays before.  When everything is on the line, do you have a plan that might even include higher risk solutions to win the candidate?

Play the right players. Having the right players on the field is critical. Use the talents of individual players for the good of the team. This often means using defensive and special team players in roles that are different from their normal position. Understanding the strengths of players during this time-compressed period becomes critical. Have you identified certain players on your recruiting team – or players who could become part of your 2 minute team – that bring a special background to help close certain top candidates?

Move the chains. This strategy is winning yards in at least 10 yard amounts thereby getting the opportunity to continue get ever closer to scoring the winning points. This means that often the best strategy isn’t the “hail Mary” pass, but getting concessions a little bit at a time in order to improve the odds of scoring. A top 2 minute recruiting drill might include getting a series of smaller yes responses from the candidate in order to overcome all concerns and getting the final yes to accept your offer.

Generate momentum. Positive momentum is contagious and energizing. The 2 minute time frame is as much mental as it is anything else. When your recruiting team consistently wins, every player gains confidence and improves their game. Are you winning most of your games, even the close ones?

Play Hard to the end. Top football teams know that it’s not over till it’s over! They strive to play at the top of their game through the final second. They realize that execution is the key to winning the game. Knowing the plays designed for your 2 minute drill and fielding the best players in each situation can mean the difference between winning and losing. The best hiring teams don’t take no for an answer and never give up till the game is truly over. Close the candidate, then celebrate.

Recognize your opponents 2 minute defense. The team on offense isn’t the only one to have a 2 minute drill. Top football teams know that when they begin their 2 minute drill, their opponents have a 2 minute defensive strategy. The tempo of the game changes. Mistakes are magnified. Split second adjustments are required. Gaining an understanding of your candidates motivators is critical and when they get down to making a final decision on your job offer, you must know how to close them. Time is short. Effective communication is critical. How are you doing when recruiting completion is really keen?

Perform a post Game Analysis. Top football teams video every game from several angles. Every game is put through a post game analysis that includes a careful scrutiny of their two minute drill. This approach allows you to able to better understand your overall strategy and find elements where you are strongest as well as weakest.  From that analysis, you can tweak and refine your 2 minute drill as well as other parts of your recruiting process. When was the last time you conducted a post game analysis of your recruiting process and then purposely improved your recruiting process?  If you haven’t, when will you start?

Conclusion

• Developing a winning 2 min strategy will make the rest of your game plan much better.
• Develop your own 2 minute drill and make it part of your playbook for hiring top employees and be sure everyone on your teams knows “the drill.”

Bottom line if you don’t have a 2 minute drill, you aren’t playing to win![/private]