The signs on the road to the new economy point to an all-out war for talent. Organizations increasingly encounter difficulties in recruiting and retaining top talent because they have yet to deal with today's most critical human resource issues. To remain competitive, you must create a talent powered company consisting of highly motivated, skilled, and loyal employees. That's the central message in Recruit and Retain the Best.

Two of America's leading recruitment specialists cut through the clutter and confusion as they identify the key human resource strategies for creating a talent powered company. Focusing on five competencies for predicting success, they dispel numerous myths and specify what HR professionals and hiring managers need to do in order to energize their human resources and productivity. They provide a critical examination of the latest in effective recruitment methods, from the use of Internet recruiting to developing employee referral programs.

Talent powered companies not only recruit the best, they also retain the best through several employee-centered strategies. They focus on ten building blocks:

• Treat the workplace as a system
  
• Promote ethics, integrity, honesty, and trust
  
• Create organizational feedback loops
  
• Put people first
  
• Instill an ethic of fairness
  
• Accept diversity
  
• Encourage openness
  
• Make work and the workplace fun
  
• Develop employee connectivity and
  
• View people management as a strategic business issue

  As the authors point out, smart managers not only identify and hire talented people based upon specific competencies; they also inspire a diverse and able staff to achieve their very best. In the end, creating a talent powered organization by hiring and retaining the best is all about putting your employees first.