Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/1462648
When recruiting employees, especially in a tight job market, it's critical to establish your organization's values and to hire prospects who fit your company culture. In addition to having discussions around current market conditions and pulling relevant salary data to ensure you're offering competitive pay, it's critical to have a strong candidate engagement strategy. is includes current and past employees and others who actively promote your company and refer candidates, dynamic job postings, and social media messaging that hooks ideal candidates. It's also important to remove unnecessary steps that lengthen the hiring process. With the speed of today's market, employers who make decisions quickly will secure top talent. Is your online application long and labor intensive? Are there steps in the hiring process that can be eliminated or condensed, especially when it comes to interviews? Can the number of decision makers be reduced? All these factors have a huge impact. Look critically at your process and make it as smooth as possible. Finally, once a hire is made, look at how employees are incentivized and rewarded. Consider if a promotion or pay re-evaluation should happen sooner than your typical timeline. When top candidates become top performers, make sure they feel valued and loyal. —WAC member Lindsay Lundberg (2012) is senior vice president at Parker Staffing. She advises clients on attracting, hiring, and retaining top talent with a focus on matching company and candidate values. It doesn't take a "mega-cellar" or a six-figure budget to curate a nice wine collection at home. I have some basic suggestions and recommendations that anyone can use to keep their home collection impressively stocked. Storage and provenance are key! Invest in a temperature-controlled wine refrigerator. ese come in a variety of bottle capacities. e best ones offer zones for sparkling, white, and red wines. Aer you have a good place to store your wine, purchase your chosen vintages from good retailers. It's also a good idea to join your favorite winery clubs as well as reputable online outlets and auction sites. Know what you like to drink, but also strive for diversification. Even if you drink mostly red, it's great to keep some whites on hand for certain meals or warm days. I'm a huge fan of sparkling wines, and I strongly suggest keeping bubbles handy. You never know when the occasion will arise! Here are some general notes on wine styles and regions that I recommend: 34 WAC Magazine | wac.net HOW TO HIRE TOP TALENT + Sauvignon Blanc: Focus on Bordeaux and Napa Valley. Drink within five years from vintage. A cold bottle from New Zealand is also perfect for a hot day. + Chardonnay: I love Sonoma and its subregions for early to mid-term drinking as well as Burgundy, which I tend to drink at least five years from vintage. + Pinot Noir: Choose Santa Barbara and Sonoma labels as well as Burgundy. Patience in maturing will pay off. + Syrah/Shiraz: I always have fun popping a big and juicy Aussie Shiraz as well as laying down some bold options from Paso Robles. Labels from France's Rhône Valley require patience. + Cabernet Sauvignon: Entry-level and mid-range Napa Valley vintages are great for steak. Stock fine Bordeaux and higher-end Napa Valley options for future enjoyment. + Champagne: Keep nonvintage selections plentiful for casual drinking. Go with vintage picks for special occasions. —WAC member Peter Mastrogiovanni (2021) is a wine sales specialist and sales manager for Treveri Cellars sparkling wine house. HOW TO CURATE A WINE CELLAR C O U R T E S Y P H O T O