With the 2016 Summer Olympics upon us, there’s no better time than now to revisit your company’s hiring strategies. Building a strong, successful team isn’t important for just winning Olympic gold; it’s also crucial for maintaining the long-term competitiveness and success of your business.

Finding Olympic-level talent isn’t easy, but with these five easy steps you’ll be one step closer to building a winning team.

1. Understand your needs
   In the same way that Olympic coaches need to set standards to recruit the very best athletes, hiring managers must fully understand the skills and qualifications required for the job to attract top candidates. What are the expectations of the role? What skills are a must? How does this role fit into the overall vision of your business? With a solid grasp on these key points, you’ll be able to lead a more focused hiring process and in the end save valuable time and money.
2. Hire for attitude, train for skill
   For many things in life, success is dependent on 90 percent attitude and 10 percent aptitude. The right attitude can make a huge difference in not only how well a new hire will perform, but how they will affect those around them. Consider the fact that it’s much easier to teach someone new skills and proficiencies than it is to change their attitude. If you want employees who “go for the gold,” refrain from making technical skills and know-how a sole determiner in future hiring decisions.
3. Actively recruit
   Good candidates are hard to come by these days and in all likelihood the best person for your team is already happily employed somewhere else. So the next time you’re at a networking event, industry function, or even the grocery store, keep your eyes and ears open for great talent. Even if you don’t have an opening right now, you’ll want to keep their contact information handy when the time comes to expand your team.

4. Check for compatibility
   The popular saying that “there is no I in team” couldn’t be truer when it comes to building a winning workforce. No matter how great a candidate may seem, if they are unable to get along with colleagues, and more importantly clients or customers, it’s safe to say they won’t bring much value to your team or company. New perspectives and ideas should always be welcomed, but frequently butting heads and an unwillingness to compromise can cause longstanding problems.

5. Enlist help
   At times, it can feel like hiring is an Olympic sport in and of itself – not only is there fierce competition for talent, but it requires a great deal of commitment. With a bustling business to run, most managers don’t have the time or resources to dedicate to this vital task; let alone the expertise to find high-quality talent. If you’re having trouble retaining top employees or are constantly making one bad hire after the next, consider enlisting help from an outside resource. For instance, partnering with a reputable, local staffing company, like ALTRES Staffing, can be the missing link your business needs to find great people for your open positions.

Hiring good employees is one feat, keeping them is another feat entirely. So even after you’ve cultivated a winning team, it’s up to you to ensure that they continue to succeed and ultimately push your company to the top.