In reply to chandnic.

Great questions! I think the answers are typically case by case. Looking at a typical group where you have a large group of entry-level staff, a slightly smaller group of mid-level staff, and then a small nucleus of senior-level staff, you look to replace inevitable turnover in different ways. If we lose an entry-level person, we are typically looking to backfill with another entry-level. In the case of a mid-level, we are looking to either fill the void from the lower level - assuming there are attractive candidates there ready to make the jump - or we are looking to make a strategic hire. Obviously, losing a senior-level staff member can be difficult. In these cases there is usually a gap until a strategic hire can be made or a mid-level staff member is ready to move up in their career.

A big takeaway from all of this is to never be reactive in your hiring. That is the whole that we often get into when we are busy going after and then delivering projects. We forget about the recruiting and staffing side of it, and that can be very costly. If we are proactive about our recruitment and staffing, we are always looking for those rockstar candidates to bring onto the team, regardless of acute need at that particular time.

Thanks!
-Matt