If you are a regular at the grocery store like me, you have likely encountered these three general types of shoppers: the racer, the saver and the scientist. Combining the right blend of traits from these stereotypes can yield terrific results. And their approaches to food shopping can provide some great lessons on how businesses can better shop for talented employees.
But first, let’s take a moment to explore each:
The racer is all about speed. From the moment he pulls into the store’s parking lot, the racer is focused on beating his previous best shopping time. Once the cart is in hand, the racer eyes the competition (other shoppers who might get in the way) and skillfully travels through food aisles with the grace, speed and power of an NFL tailback. If this person sees someone familiar (like a neighbor), he goes into stealth mode, avoiding a time-consuming conversation or even an obligatory hello. The racer is efficient but may finish shopping without saving money (coupons slow you down at checkout) and sacrificing quality (buying the food in easy reach without looking at the nutrition labels).
The saver puts Sherlock Holmes to shame. Armed with a stack of coupons, the saver meticulously seeks out the best bargains of the day. In addition, the saver’s ears are tuned in to announcements regarding daily specials. At the checkout line, she is a cashier’s nightmare as each item electronically scanned is double-checked by the saver on the checkout screen to ensure fair and proper pricing. The saver is great at pinching pennies but perhaps inefficient, and like the racer may have ignored the quality of the food just to save a couple of bucks.
The scientist is consumed with the contents of the items purchased. Labels and expiration dates are everything to her. The scientist is easy to identify in a grocery store, as she studies the nutritional contents of the food item as if the label were under a microscope. Cost of items and time taken to select the “right products” are typically irrelevant.
When it comes to shopping for top business talent, many corporate recruiters fall into similar categories. Some focus on getting in candidates as fast as possible. Others look to save a few recruiting dollars. And still others key on finding the candidate with perfect ingredients. Typically, these one-dimensional approaches to recruiting top performers seldom result in great hires.
If your organization is determined to identify and recruit top performers, then consider some of the following shopping tips:
Speed is important. Sometimes making the buying decision is tougher than the shopping experience. If you find an ideal candidate, try not to drag her through weeks of endless and poorly planned interviews. Have an efficient and professional recruitment process to enable top candidates to move through the system in a timely fashion.
Prepare your shoppers. Anyone in your organization who will be interviewing candidates should be prepared for the process. Poor planning and inexperienced interviewers can ruin the chances of recruiting top candidates.
Know what you’re seeking. This may seem simplistic, but know what you are looking for before you recruit talent. Have an updated, written job description and performance expectations completed ahead of time. Think of these instruments as your shopping list.
Occasionally use professional shoppers. Sometimes recruiting should be outsourced to recruiting and retained-search professionals. Do your homework to identify firms that have industry experience, excellent references and are willing to work with you on fees. And by all means look to use local firms first before going outside of Northeast Ohio.
Store your purchases. Think of top performers as perishable food items. If you don’t take care of them properly, your purchases will not last. Establish and maintain a top-notch onboarding program and great workplace so when you bring in that wonderful candidate he is thrilled with his new home.
Recruiting top performers should entail a blend of speed, quality, efficiency and preparedness.
Oh, and about those ingredients, ensure that your candidates can provide the following necessary daily requirements in your workplace: initiative, creativity, teamwork, job knowledge, passion and results.
Use good selection tools to improve the possibility that your candidate can bring these attributes to the table. Remember, most of your employees do not come with a money-back guarantee, so shop smart. 
Pat Perry is president of ERC, Northeast Ohio’s largest organization dedicated to HR and workplace programs, practices, training and consulting. For more information, visit www.ercnet.org.