How to Hire the Right People: A Proven Approach to Better Hiring Decisions

Are you wondering whether you’re really hiring the best people—and how to be more proactive and strategic in your hiring process?

You’re not alone. People are the heart of every organization. And when targets are missed, it’s usually not the market, not the product, and not the competition—it’s a people challenge.

According to Harvard Business Review, 80% of employee turnover is due to bad hiring decisions.

My Experience With Good and Bad Hires

I can relate to this firsthand. In my early career, I hired hundreds of employees—and my success rate was basically 50/50. Sound familiar?

Now, imagine if we could raise that success rate to 70%. Or even 90%. Think about the impact that would have on growth, culture, and performance.

One of my most memorable hires happened when I was in a desperate situation. I had just let go of my office manager, and only one person applied to the replacement ad.

The interview was… rough. When I asked why she wanted the job, she said: “I’m desperate. I just finished my degree and need money.” Not exactly the strongest answer. But I was also desperate. So I asked her to start the next day.

She turned out to be the best hire I ever made. I attribute much of my company’s incredible growth during that time as much to her contributions as to my own.

But here’s the flip side. During that same period of growth, we hosted assessment days with 20+ candidates. Time and again, the “strongest” candidates on paper ended up being the worst hires. And the cost of those mis-hires? Painful—financially, culturally, and emotionally.

Why Most Organizations Struggle With Hiring

The truth is, too many companies hire résumés instead of people. They focus on experience, education, or gut feel, rather than the deeper qualities that drive performance and retention.

This is why so many organizations struggle:

• They don’t align hiring with business strategy.

• They rely too heavily on past job titles and skills.

• They lack a repeatable process for identifying the right talent.

The result? High turnover, low engagement, and missed business targets.

The Better Way: Aligning Talent to Strategy

At Talent Optimizers, our mission is simple: Better Work, Better World.

We help organizations align talent with strategy, so they don’t just fill seats—they hire the right people, for the right roles, at the right time.

Think of it like this:

• Core Infrastructure (payroll, HRIS, applicant tracking systems) keeps the engine running.

• But at the core, success comes from aligning talent to strategy—ensuring the right people are in the right seats and the bus is driving in the right direction.

A Simple Framework: Head, Heart, and Briefcase

One of the most effective ways to improve hiring outcomes is the Head, Heart, and Briefcase model.

• Head → Cognitive ability, how people think and solve problems.

• Heart → Behaviors, values, and motivations that drive engagement.

• Briefcase → Skills, experience, and qualifications.

Too many organizations hire only for the briefcase. But when you assess all three, you dramatically increase your chances of hiring top performers—while improving retention, engagement, and long-term success.

The Bottom Line

Hiring is too important to leave to chance, gut instinct, or résumés alone. By focusing on people, not just résumés, and aligning talent with strategy, you can:

• Boost your hiring success rate.

• Improve retention and engagement.

• Hit your business targets with confidence.

At Talent Optimizers, we’re here to help leaders build the tools, strategies, and processes to make this possible.

If you’re ready to hire smarter, not harder, check out our resources on the Head, Heart, and Briefcase framework and start building a talent strategy that actually works.