Best of the Best: Best Books to Read for HR Managers

New best practices, new technologies, and new strategies have continuously changed the way talent is recruited—one of the best ways to keep up with its ever-evolving nature is through reading.

Whether you’re looking to sharpen up your personal recruitment skills or your organization is adjusting its corporate strategy to keep up with in-flux demands, here are the 5 best recruitment books to read!

#1 Hire by Design: A Hiring Blueprint with Design Thinking

Jodi Brandsetter is the founder of Talent Acquisition Evolution and Chief Talent Strategist of Lean Effective Talent Strategies. She’s also a best-selling author of recruitment books and adds to this collection, Hire by Design: A Hiring Blueprint with Design Thinking.

Hiring by Design utilizes a design mindset and applies this to talent acquisition. It breaks down typical talent acquisition strategy and assigns design thinking to share how recruiters can strengthen that process. The book also provides templates to make it easier for recruiters to apply design thinking to their business and hiring practices.

Who should read this book? Anyone looking to implement out-of-the-box hiring practices. Buy Now

#2 Culture Driven Recruiting: There is No “Talent War” If You Eliminate the Competition

Lee-Anne Edwards, founder of One in Mil and a “Talent Matchmaker,” provides the groundwork for breaking through the barriers of traditional recruiting in Culture Driven Recruiting: There is No “Talent War” If You Eliminate the Competition. In this book, Edwards elucidates how to shake up your recruiting approach to better appeal to candidates and eliminate competition.

Culture Driven Recruiting teaches human-resource departments and CEOs how to retain their one-in-a-million talent by asking tough questions, sharing stories and experiences, as well as providing guidance on how to navigate the often challenging waters of attracting (and retaining) high-quality talent.

Who should read this book? Anyone tired of recruiting the way they’ve always done it. Buy Now

#3 High-Tech High-Touch Recruiting: How to Attract and Retain the Best Talent By Improving the Candidate Experience

High-Tech High-Touch Recruiting was written by Barbara Bruno, president of HR Search and Good As Gold Training. In this book, Bruno offers recruiters a start-to-finish process beginning with recruiting in-demand talent to engaging them to become long-term employees.

The “high-touch” portion of this book focuses on fostering strong relationships with candidates and new hires while the “high-tech” focuses on how you can use AI-powered software to siphon through large pools of candidates and find the right person for your job. She gives advice on how to better connect with target candidates beyond text and email, thereby enhancing the experience for everyone involved in the recruiting process.

High-Tech High-Touch Recruiting also comes with online resources, such as sample offer letters, recruiting scripts, job requisitions, scorecards for interviews, and more.

Who should read this book? Anyone looking to implement new technology while maintaining the “live human” aspect of recruiting. Buy Now

#4 Talent Acquisition Essentials Guidebook: Julie MacFarland and HireReach

Julie MacFarland teamed up with HireReach to write the Talent Acquisition Essentials Guidebook. This book is written for talent acquisition professionals leading hiring efforts across their organization.

MacFarland's book is no less strategic than some of the others on this list, however, if you’re looking for a no-fluff, practical way to boost your recruitment strategy while building a successful and efficient hiring process, this book can outline the direction you’re looking for.

Who should read this book? Anyone looking for specific, to-the-point tips about building an efficient recruitment and hiring process. Buy Now

#5 Righteous Recruiting: Essays on Reinventing Talent Acquisition for People

Righteous Recruiting is written by Liz Ryan, former Fortune 500 HR Senior VP and CEO of Human Workplace. Her essays explore how talent acquisition professionals can reinvent the way they do things, laying out easily-understood and attainable visions for where their work can go. She also brings an empathetic perspective on recruiting that is worthy of its high esteem.

Ryan is people-centric, covering recruitment topics that matter to both recruiters and candidates. Some of her tips include small changes that can improve communication to enhance the recruitment process, enabling employers to create a sustainable competitive advantage.

Who should read this book? Anyone seeking to adapt a people-first philosophy to hiring. Buy Now

The world of recruiting is always reinventing itself. Just a few years ago it made sense to make hiring decisions based on resumes and cover letters alone. Today there is a multitude of factors that come into play and it can be daunting to stay abreast of new ideas as they emerge. 

Credits to Harver