Recruitment has transformed rapidly, but some insights remain timeless. We mined the slush pile at the quote farm, unearthing some untarnished gems from which the most cynical can’t help but draw wisdom.

The hiring process is a different beast whether you’re a recruiter, a hiring manager, or a candidate. While the ultimate goal is to match the right candidate to the right job, sometimes the procedural challenges offer the most valuable insights for the future. TA professionals lean on past leadership to improve recruitment today. That’s why we’ve gathered quotes from accomplished entrepreneurs and business leaders that will challenge your perceptions of recruiting, and give you that much-needed kick in the ass.

On Candidate Experience

“Understand your candidates and why they’re making job changes. People leave people, not companies, Make sure you’re giving them something they’re excited to come to.” — Robin Mee, President and Founder of Mee Derby

If we truly believe that people are the core of HR, then creating the best possible candidate experience should be a no-brainer. In an era where company reviews on sites like Glassdoor are widely accessible to prospective applicants, organizations cannot afford to ignore the importance of a positive first impression. Today’s companies are increasingly aware of how candidates view them, not just as potential employers, but on their social initiatives, and even how they write open job descriptions.

On Employer Branding

“Engagement has to be human, because people trust people more than brands. Our employees are the ones who personify Shell.” — Ana Alonso, Global Marketing Head at Shell

A company’s reputation as an employer is hugely important to candidates. Today’s job seekers have greater access to company information than ever before, with 75 percent considering an employer’s brand before even applying for a job. Company fit and culture are moving into the top considerations for candidates who value connections with people more than with a brand. Employers wanting to attract the right candidates should focus on building an internal culture that supports these relationships.

On Hiring the Right Person (or People)

“When you’re in a startup, the first ten people will determine whether the company succeeds or not. Each is ten percent of the company. So why wouldn’t you take as much time as necessary to find all the A players? If three were not so great, why would you want a company where 30 percent of your people are not so great? A small company depends on great people much more than a big company does.” — Steve Jobs, Co-Founder of Apple

“If we weren’t still hiring great people and pushing ahead at full speed, it would be easy to fall behind and become some mediocre company.” — Bill Gates, Co-Founder of Microsoft

Steve Jobs may be right about one thing. True, individuals have more impact at startups, but that doesn’t mean they are less influential at larger companies. While we would be hard-pressed to argue with the man who built a successful multinational tech firm, Microsoft’s equally savvy tech mogul makes a strong counterpoint – that maintaining great hires is crucial to an organization’s growth. The takeaway: hiring top-quality talent starts in a company’s infancy, and if done correctly, will carry things into maturity.

On Training

“The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave is not training them and having them stay.” — Henry Ford, Founder of Ford Motor Company

Onboarding rarely goes beyond the typical welcome packets, employee handbooks, and payroll forms for many recent hires. And while no organization wants to suffer the financial cost of losing a freshly trained worker, this quote from Henry Ford argues that companies who don’t invest in employee training risk greater loss. The future workforce will need a balance of technological, social and emotional, and higher cognitive skills, and many of these will require occasional honing. To that end, it behooves companies to initiate skill workshops, training seminars, and other exercises to maintain a high level of employee performance.

On Team Building

“The best teamwork comes from men [and women] who are working independently toward one goal in unison.” — James Cash Penney, Founder of JC Penney

The founder of JC Penney opened his first store in 1902, and over the course of his life grew it into a $12B organization with 850 stores across the US. Feats like this are only possible with a united team working towards a common goal, where every person understands how his or her role is instrumental in achieving success. Expectations on an individual level demonstrate to employees how every team function aligns with the greater company mission. This not only establishes a value-add for all tasks, but instills a sense of purpose among the entire team.

On Management

“Many think of management as cutting deals and laying people off and hiring people and buying and selling companies. That’s not management, that’s deal making. Management is the opportunity to help people become better people. Practiced that way, it’s a magnificent profession” – Clayton M. Christensen, HBS Professor & Disruptive Innovation Expert

It can be difficult to know exactly what happens behind the closed doors of corner offices as recruiters fight in the trenches for the next great hire, but as this quote from Clayton Christensen suggests, the function of management is to provide support and mentorship to employees. Great managers identify potential, maintain a pulse on company health, and empower employees to reach their goals. Companies can only grow as fast as the people who run them, from managers to executives.

I came across Janet Malcom’s, “Nobody’s Looking at You: Eileen Fisher and the Art of Understatement,” in the New Yorker, and found myself “oohing” and “ahhing” as I flipped through the pages. I thought to myself, this is a lady who understands what it means to be a leader. She builds business by way of community, and understands that leading doesn’t always mean being front and center. I firmly believe that if more people took their cue from Eileen Fisher, we’d have much happier workplaces and much better businesses.

Here are the Top 10 Leadership Lessons from Eileen Fisher:

1. Don’t be afraid of change.

“It began as an effort to give more structure to this almost feminine way of doing things−I didn’t know how to run a business.”

When Eileen Fisher felt she needed to revamp her company she was already a fixture in the fashion industry. By typical standards she WAS successful. She acknowledged the only way to facilitate growth is create change. Yes, you can keep the foundation of what you are doing, but as that line becomes stagnant you want to strive for something that’s always on the up.

2. Be introspective.

“It was the need for more structure and joy and well-being”

Giving constructive criticism is an incredibly difficult task, it takes a not only skilled, but also aware person. Especially if you’re asking someone to look at themselves. Criticizing your own work can be incredibly challenging but it’s fundamental to getting your businessto the next steps. People are always saying, “don’t be afraid to fail” or “fail fast,” and it’s true you have to be resilient – but fear of failure is inevitable. Just like being introspective, it’s scary but it’s a MUST do.

3. Don’t conform if it’s not right.

“He would have been the right C.E.O for our company if the C.E.O was the right role for our company.”

Not all businesses are run the same way and require the same structure. Eileen Fisher categorizes her company under the “family model.” Be conscientious of what’s right for the progression of your business. There’s no need for a “one size fits all” model anymore. Sometimes you have to make big decisions that seem scary because they’re out of the box, or radical. This is what defines part of your leadership skills, not being afraid to do it, even if it’s different.

4. Create a process.

“She spoke of a ‘core concept team’ and ‘the leadership forum’ and ‘this kind of concept of facilitating leaders, which is that they’re actually doing the work, they’re not leading the work, but sort of like the way I’ve been leading from behind, in a way leading by, you know, letting the group find what’s coming up and facilitating that to happen.’”

Natural born leaders are intuitive, and not surprisingly have a lot of great ideas. But exceptional leaders also know it’s just as important to have the ability to execute. This is not possible without facilitating the development of a process for your team. Figuring out how to make everyone’s skills work together to create a something beautiful is essential to success. Even if that means leading from the back instead of the front.

5. Respect the process.

“It had become more corporate, more hierarchical, less collaborative, less caring. There was more unhappiness, I’d say. People weren’t kind enough to each other. Deadlines were more important than the process that led to the deadlines.”

What’s that old saying? “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it!” Just kidding, I knew what the saying was… But seriously, why would you totally revamp something that is working exceptionally well? You wouldn’t. If you see how people are thriving, it’s your responsibility as a leader, to make sure you’re creating an environment to keep letting that happen.

6. Create a lifestyle.

“… bring in a kind of leadership that valued people working together, that valued cooperation rather than competition, that made room for having a full life.”

One of the things I love about my job is that it gives me opportunities to learn, explore, and be a better person (Check out Give Labor, and Veterans Helping Veterans). SmartRecruiters is a place where we care about something bigger, getting people to work. As a leader, you have to inspire people from within. Eileen Fisher and her team created a place where people enjoy the part of their lives that is work. People shouldn’t feel like they’re constantly fighting against something, they should be fighting for something.

7. Be collaborative.

“You sit around in a circle. This eliminates hierarchies. Everyone is equal. To focus the mind, there is a three-part ritual of a “start point,” “check in,” and “check out.”

As I’ve said before the best ideas are never your own, they usually happen with the help from others. As it turns out, people are more willing to share ideas when they do not feel the pressure of a ticking time bomb (or super imposed power differentiation). By creating a space where everyone’s ideas and presence are not only considered equal, but valued – you’re asking for magic to happen. If it means giving up the head of the table, it’s worth it to get to collaborate and create with the people on your team.

8. Be humble.

“I know the idea for the company came through me in some way, but it’s beyond me. I planted the first seed and now I look around and there’s this amazing garden. I’m just an ordinary person.”

One part of being a great leader is being the kind of person people want to work for. No one wants to work for some who thinks their sh*t doesn’t stink. Yes, you may be the captain of the ship, but nothing is possible without your crew. The sooner you know that, and you the sooner you realize what is happening around you is bigger than you; the further you’ll go.

9. Be supportive.

“It wanting to support whatever your process might be.”

Leaders need to support and empower the people around them to accomplish their goals even if they have different ways of achieving the final destination. Being a good leader doesn’t mean molding people to your vision of them, that’s being a great manipulator. Great leaders are able to mold others into the best version of themselves, that means supporting their process.

10. Give trust.

“I don’t feel like I need to be there anymore. I feel like they’re my full-grown adult children and the do an amazing job and they don’t need me.”

As a leader you’ve asked others to put their trust you, and you need to return the favor. You have accepted the people around you as members of your team, and that relationship requires trust on both sides to be productive. One of the most challenging parts of being a leader is knowing when to pull back but also trusting in yourself that you have given those around you the tools they need to be amazing.

Eileen Fisher challenges the typical structure of a company and the stereotypical idea of a leader. There is something to be said for the kind of company that forms their own identity and is consistently recognized as a great place to work, while making an impact beyond their product. The more leaders we have like this, the more people will be inspired by what they do, and think of all the amazing things that would come from that.

When you are in the business of hiring people, quotes can be a good way to not lose sight of the big picture. Your company depends on people. Below are the 5 Best Hiring Quotes to help you hire the right people to grow your business.

5. “You need to have a collaborative hiring process.”

–  Said Steve Jobs in the Steve Jobs Book

Since people work collaboratively, why wouldn’t the hiring process be collaborative? Steve Jobs went on to explain the hiring practice at Apple, “When we hire someone, even if they are going to be in marketing, I will have them talk to the design folks and the engineers.” In a team, you will have to work with people with different skill sets. How well a team works together can be more indicative to company success than just the aggregation of employee skills.

4. “Never hire someone who knows less than you do about what he’s hired to do.”

– Said Malcolm Forbes, Former Publisher of Forbes

While a head of a department may not always agree with Forbes, new talented people can do things current employees can’t. This is especially useful to consider before, during, and after cross departmental interviews. When hiring new talent, companies must consider diversity of skill sets. Embrace diversity. Along these lines consider the advice of  Leo Lacocca, Chrysler’s former CEO,  “I hire people brighter than me and then I get out of their way.”

3. “Recently, I was asked if I was going to fire an employee who made a mistake that cost the company $600,000. No, I replied, I just spent $600,000 training him. Why would I want somebody to hire his experience?”

– Thomas John Watson Sr., first CEO at IBM and inspiration for name of Watson (computer)

This is the other side of the coin. Employees need training. Smart people are still just people. Employees make mistakes. Even well trained employees make mistakes. Employees are also investments, people! Don’t bail at the first sign of high water. Consider, what the employee can offer you tomorrow. Think of the bottom-line in terms of opportunity cost when weighing the option of replacing a current employee. Watson speaks of a mistake that is equal to the cost of employee training investment. At some point, the cost of a mistake could exceed the cost of hiring and training a new employee, and at which point, employee turnover becomes a more serious consideration.

2. “I am convinced that nothing we do is more important than hiring and developing people. At the end of the day you bet on people, not on strategies.”

– Lawrence Bossidy, Former COO of GE and author

… people, People, PEOPLE! Time and time again, it is people first. At an expert Venture Capitalist panel, I heard VC Saad Khan say it, “I invest in people.” Persistance and determination are not executed by the plan; they are executed by the people. Be true to your value proposition. Recruiting is a social activity.

1. “Do not hire a man who does your work for money, but him who does it for the love of it.”

– Henry David Thoreau, “Life without Principle“

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The account is dedicated to applying the great knowledge of the secular world into the day-to-day activities of Human Resources. You may enjoy other AcademiaHR articles, such as:  “Human Resource Quotes (Modified Famous Quotes)” and “Economics Quotes Modified for Human Resources.”

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In human resources you must continue to learn. Adjust people to your company, and your company to the people. While economists try to quantify the effects of human capital, those working in HR know you must adjust to the people around you. For Human Resources, It’s a fine line – remaining true to your principles and procedures – while onboarding and minimizing the barriers to production for everyone at the company. Here are some of the most sound economic principles, modified for Human Resources:

Quote: “The problem isn’t that people don’t understand how good things are. It’s that they know, from personal experience, that things really aren’t that good.” – Paul Krugman

Comment: Paul Krugman is as close to a rock star as an economist can be in today’s world. Rock stars have the power to transcend music to culture. In the quote above, Krugman transcends irrational expectations of behavior economics to everyday pessimism. In human resources, you must know that the employees you help have lived full lives. They have seen things you have never seen. Temptation can say to them this isn’t as good as then, but human resources knows this also isn’t as bad as another then. Yes I’m talking about the water in the glass / company culture you live. Show your employees the flavor of your company’s water.

Modified Tweet: “The problem is that people forget how another could see how good things are. It’s that you must let them know, citing personal experience, that things of the present really are goods.” @AcademiaHR

Quote: “Men will not always die quietly.” – John Maynard Keynes from “The Economic Consequences of Peace” (1919)

Comment: Employee turnover is inevitable for a company. Sometimes employees leave happy, but other times employees leave bitter (for just and unjust reasons). Employee alumni can be a great asset or great liability. If an employee leaves happy, do little things to stay in touch, such as sending them a holiday card, or sharing something he or she would value via social media; this expands the enthusiasm of a great employer brand ambassador. If an employee leaves with a bitter taste of the company in his or her mouth, address the issue. If you believe the bitterness is for an unjust reason, practice damage control; speak to their clients and co-workers, and be transparent about why, given the company’s value proposition, parting ways was in the best interest of the company. If an employee leaves for a just reason, do not ignore it – learn from it. Sometimes an employee leaving for a just reason, can be a great opportunity for a company culture to look itself in the mirror and evolve.

Modified Tweet: “Employees will not always move on quietly. Manage the ensuing noise.” @AcademiaHR

Quote: “All money is a matter of belief.” – Adam Smith from “The Wealth of Nations” (1776)

Comment: Adam Smith is the Father of Economics. This simple mantra explains how money is fiat. The paper and cotton that money is printed on has nearly no value in-it-of-itself. In this way, the company’s brand is fiat. A company’s brand is built upon the value the community places upon it. Your employees (and the company’s resulting product/service) are the ambassadors to your employer brand. In human resources, you must show the employees why they should have pride in their work. An employee who takes pride in their work, will not only produce better work, but will also speak more highly of his or her company. This is how human resources can build powerful employer brands, which in turn will attract great talent.

Modified Tweet: “All employer branding is a matter of employee pride.” @AcademiaHR

@AcademiaHR is Alter-Twe-Go of @DavidSmooke. The account is dedicated to applying the great knowledge of the secular world into the day-to-day activities of Human Resources.

Also Check Out the original “Human Resource Quotes (Modified Famous Quotes)”

Comment: As is, this tweet is a great quote for human resources. In HR, you must hire for and promote the goals of a company such that they are also the employee’s goals. Dwight led a whole country, so you just might be capable of motivating a single company. Keep in mind, every motivation needs a bottom-line to survive.

Modified Tweet: “Production’s the art of getting employees to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.”  @AcademiaHR

Tweet: “We adore titles and heredities in our hearts and ridicule them with our mouths. This is our democratic privilege.” – Mark Twain

Comment: Twain’s autobiography described a man who always wanted to be of the people. In human resources, you must be of the people. Through thick and thin, you must accept that your relationship with your employees must be maintained. As someone in HR, you will not always approve of what the rest of the company says about HR. Your employees will criticize you. Be prepared to work though it.

Modified Tweet: “We work with titles on our cards and skills at our hands and ridicule them with our mouths. This is the office.” @AcademiaHR

Tweet: “A new birth of freedom–and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” – Abe Lincoln

Comment: Abe Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address with the hope of uniting a nation. He spoke in time when America was completely divided. Today, the social web gives human resources more readily available information than ever about the people around us. Because of this increased transparency of employee personality, company culture has never been as much of a product of employee personality as it is today. More than ever, Human Resources must behave as the Minister of the People.

Modified Tweet:  “A new birth of social transparency–and that business of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” @AcademiaHR
Tweet: “To resist change is like holding your breath – if you persist, you will die…” – Laozi

Comment: This Chinese philosopher (whose name roughly translates as “Venerable Teacher”) is said to have lived sometime between the 4^th and 6^th centuries BCE. But he may not have technically existed. Wikipedia says there is a chance he was a mere myth. This makes his words no less prominent. If you do not adjust to the new world, you cannot have new prominence. In today’s world of human resources, the change we must adjust is technology.

Modified Tweet: “To resist new technology is like holding your breath- if you persist, you will no longer be in business…” @AcademiaHR

Photo Credit Myths and Legends of China, Quote Collection, John Nelson Marble, Twain Quotes

@AcademiaHR is Alter-Twe-Go of @DavidSmooke. The account is dedicated to applying the great knowledge of the secular world into the day-to-day activities of Human Resources.