Marketing expert Seth Godin writes a wonderful blog that covers a wide range of timely topics. Recently, Seth wrote about the difference between “hiring” and “recruiting.”

Seth wrote:

“Hiring is what you do when you let the world know that you're accepting applications from people looking for a job. Recruiting is the act of finding the very best person for a job and persuading them to stop doing what they're doing and come join you. Hiring is easy and fast and is basically a retail operation. Recruiting is artful and slow and is essentially a direct marketing effort.”

The difference between hiring and recruiting is huge. If you are hiring someone to fill a position, you are forced to take what you can get from among those who happen to stumble across your ad, either in the newspaper or online.

But if you are actively recruiting, you have a much greater chance of identifying an individual with the experience and skill set that you need to do the best job for you.

Seth Godin also poses a key question that any employer must ask before seeking the right person for a position:

“Is your job opening so good you could recruit great people for it?”

In other words, don’t expect top quality people to apply for a job that does not offer the compensation, challenge and fulfillment they need and expect. The first step in hiring the right person is properly defining the job you are offering.

That’s where an honest and objective assessment can help you start the process off on the right foot, and lead to a successful conclusion — recruiting the right person for the right job.