Dallas, TX -- (ReleaseWire) -- 02/16/2015 --With the US rapidly approaching full employment, it's going to get tougher to recruit for top talent. In these competitive times, let's take a cue from Doctor Who and explore how he recruits.

There are lessons here as evidenced by Doctor Who's longevity. He is the the hero of the world's longest running sci-fi show. Although the show is only 50 years old, The Doctor is 2,000 years old. He is a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, has two hearts, and travels in a spaceship that looks exactly like a 1950's British police box that is called the TARDIS. TARDIS stands for time and relative dimension in space, so the Doctor can travel backwards and forwards in time and to other worlds.

It can get quite lonely traveling through time and space, so The Doctor usually asks one or more human companions to join him.

Just like recruiters, The Doctor must choose his companions wisely. Adventures in time and space are fraught with danger. The Doctor's only weapons are his wit and a sonic screwdriver.

So, how has The Doctor always recruited the right companions?

Dig Deeper

The Doctor takes a scientific approach to every new situation he explores. He doesn't take things at face value and understands that the most interesting stuff is under the surface. He investigates by asking the right questions and through keen observation.

Emulate the Doctor by asking questions that require more than a yes or no answer. In HR-speak, these are called "behavioral interview questions".

The Doctor wouldn't ask his companion, Clara, "Did you enjoy meeting Robin Hood?" Instead, he would ask "How do you think Robin Hood keeps his band of merry men so happy?" This leads to a robust discussion about leadership and management styles.

Have a Heart (or Two)

The Doctor always gives people, including his enemies (and other alien beings), a choice. He gives them a chance to decide if they want to go down a path of redemption or self-destruction.

Have a heart for the humans who apply to job openings. It's not uncommon for candidates to completely revise their resumes, and agonize over a cover letter for days, just to apply to a single job requisition. It can also take well over an hour to apply to a job through a web-based applicant tracking system.

So don't blow off candidates. Review their submissions and see if there's another choice for them. Perhaps your location isn't hiring, but one nearby is. Maybe the candidate isn't the right fit for the job opening, but they'd be a good fit for another position. Make the extra effort. It's the right thing to do and it also enhances the company's brand. Don't forget that today's candidate is also tomorrow's customer. Be sure to follow up with them or they will fall into a black hole. People who fall into black holes usually don't have nice things to say about the folks who put them there.

Use Your Sonic Screwdriver

Long before MacGuyver, there was The Doctor. The Doctor is a genius at tinkering with broken machinery until it's fixed. He can also build advanced equipment out of junk. Just look at his dog, K-9. He's built out of scrap metal and his ears look suspiciously like plastic strainers, yet he is a chess master.

Use some imagination to tinker with your processes. All too often companies implement systems that don't serve their recruiters, hiring managers, or candidates well. So tear them apart. Experiment. Diagram processes and remove roadblocks and bottlenecks. Implement new recruiting technology carefully since it usually won't fix underlying process issues. Above all, make sure it's a mobile recruiting solution. Remember, the Doctor can use his sonic screwdriver on cell phones, so your next candidate may be applying from a far away galaxy – or a new talent pool – that you have yet to explore.

Allons-y! (English: Let's Go!)

Whovians have a saying: We never forget our first Doctor. Candidates will similarly never forget their experience with a company's recruiting process. Make sure they always associate the company's brand with a high level of respect by recruiting with two hearts and a sonic screwdriver.

About HR Virtuoso Company
HR Virtuoso was established in 2013 to help small and mid-sized companies migrate from paper employment applications to an efficient mobile recruiting system. The HR Virtuoso System is designed specifically for high volume recruiting in the restaurant, hospitality, call center, staffing, transportation, and logistics industries.

About Liz D'Aloia
Are you curious about the Whovians behind HR Virtuoso? Liz D'Aloia is the founder of HR Virtuoso, a mobile recruiting software company based in Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX. Liz is an HR professional, employment attorney, speaker, and blogger. Prior to launching HR Virtuoso Liz worked at national transportation companies and at a global retailer. Liz is a lifelong Whovian and still thinks bow ties are cool.