By Northwestern MutualVoice Team, Forbes.com

Ask any business owner what makes a company a success, and somewhere near the top of the list will be its employees. While there are seemingly endless resources for finding employees, how do you find the best?

If you do an Internet search on “finding top employees,” you may be surprised at the results: It’s not a list of websites, placement services or other traditional recruiting methods. The top results are about finding the right type of person for your environment, not just the right skills. So how do you go about accomplishing this?

1. Re-examine your job listings. Is it just a canned description of the company with a list of required skills? Mike Ganiere, manager of talent acquisition, North America for Johnson Controls, says, “You can’t just post a position with a list of duties and expect to connect to the perfect match. People today need to know how their job fits into the organization and what impact it will have—they want to do work that matters.” Including short- and long-term expectations allows a potential candidate to see what his or her value is to the company.

2. Reconsider required qualifications. While certain positions require a certain level of education, consider whether your position could be successfully filled by a candidate with actual experience or a combination of experience and education. Some of the most prominent business leaders of our time have no college degree: Richard Branson (CEO, Virgin Group), Bill Gates (former CEO, Microsoft), Michael Dell (founder of Dell) and Mark Zuckerberg (CEO, Facebook) to name a few.

3. Take a look at your current employees. Although they may not have all the skills for a specific position, having a proven track record as well as an understanding of the current company culture is very valuable. Implementing a referral program encourages current employees to reach out to their network of friends and family. Although there may be a cash incentive, most people would not risk their own position by giving a low-quality referral.

4. Find people that aren’t looking. Using social media to find candidates isn’t a new concept. Many companies use Facebook or Twitter to post open positions. In addition to posting positions, consider searching various social media platforms such as LinkedIn for profiles, skills or interests that match the position you’re trying to fill.

5. Establish yourself as a top employer.“Having an employer brand in addition to your business brand is essential,” says Mike Ganiere. “What are your employees saying about working for you, and what is the perception of you as an employer in the external market?” In addition to improving retention, company benefits such as flex-time or on-site day care are often important deciding factors for job seekers. Consider offering non-traditional perks, such as pet insurance, on-site hair stylists or oil changes, to help you stand out to job seekers.

6. Keep the talent you have. The cost of hiring a new employee can be substantial. Even before you get to the cost of training, you’ve incurred recruiting/advertising costs, time involved with reviewing resumes and conducting interviews, drug screens, background checks and assessment tests, to name a few. All of this is spent on your best guess as to whether or not you’ve picked the right person for the job. According to a survey by CareerBuilder, 27 percent of U.S. companies reported that a single bad hire can cost more than $50,000.

Anne Mulcahy, former CEO of Xerox, told people at LifeCare^® Inc.’s Life Event Management 2003 Conference, “Employees are a company’s greatest asset—they’re your competitive advantage. You want to attract and retain the best; provide them with encouragement and stimulus, and make them feel that they are an integral part of the company’s mission.”

The Northwestern MutualVoice Team is a group of professionals who share insights and opinions from experts and industry leaders across the enterprise. Our vision is to inspire others to take action and plan for their financial future through topics ranging from financial planning, retirement planning and distribution strategies, wealth accumulation and preservation, to leadership, philanthropy and innovation. Read more articles from them here »