Employers know that there's a world of difference between an employee who's correctly matched to their job and one who isn’t. But, how do you identify the most promising candidates, then compete for and match them to the right jobs? Simple – by creating a comprehensive search strategy and having a well-structured selection process.

Follow a proven step-by-step process for the competitive positions you want to fill. But, don’t take shortcuts because in the end you will be left with undesirable results.

Here's what you should do:

Develop accurate job descriptions. You must have an effective job description for each position. These should reflect careful thought as to the skillsets a candidate must possess, including personality attributes that are important to fulfilling and succeeding in certain positions.
Create a "success profile." Profile the ideal employee for key positions in your company that are critical to the execution of your business plan. In other words, who is most likely to succeed in a given position? Remember, you can't tell if you've found a match if you're not matching candidates against a specific profile.
Advertise within your industry. Draft your ad describing the position and key qualifications you’re looking to match, then advertise in the mediums most likely to reach your potential candidates. Also, send your ad to recruiters who can look into qualified individuals who already fill similar roles at competing companies.
Assess candidates. After receiving resumes, conducting phone interviews and deciding on potential candidates to move forward with, assess their core behavioral traits and cognitive reasoning speed with a proven assessment tool. This can provide excellent insight as to which behavioral traits are important for a given position and whether or not a candidate is naturally suited to succeed in that position.

Once you’ve gone through all of the steps, make a competitive offer to the best candidates, and soon you’ll be working alongside your industry’s top professionals.