Hiring the right people is not just a task; it is a defining factor in a company’s future. Yet many organizations still struggle with recruitment missteps that waste time, drain resources, and disrupt team dynamics. For over 25 years, Gary Perman, founder of PermanTech and one of North America’s leading headhunters in transportation and infrastructure technology, has been tackling this challenge head-on. His proven approach helps companies identify, hire, and retain the talent they need for sustainable growth.
Identifying the Real Hiring Mistake
Gary Perman has seen this story play out hundreds of times. He knows why companies keep repeating the same costly hiring mistakes. “I’ve helped companies solve one of the most expensive business problems: bad hires,” he says. The real issue isn’t about finding better resumes. Perman has watched companies get dazzled by impressive candidates, only to regret it later. These hires looked perfect on paper but failed to deliver in the real world. “I’ve seen companies hire for the resume, only to watch performance drop and team morale crumble,” he explains. The problem was never just their skills. It was everything else.
Defining Culture to Hire Smarter
Most people treat company culture as a vague, feel-good concept that gets mentioned in meetings but rarely shapes real decisions. Gary Perman sees it differently. At PermanTech, he breaks culture down into concrete, measurable elements. “Culture isn’t some abstract idea. You can define it,” he explains. Think about how your team actually operates. Do people thrive on independence, or do they work best with constant collaboration? Is your company built for speed, or do you prioritize careful, methodical planning? These aren’t just personality quirks—they’re the difference between someone thriving or struggling every single day. “Once you know what success looks like in your company, you can interview for it and hire accordingly,” Perman says.
Retention Starts on Day One
Here’s where most executives go wrong. They hire someone, cross their fingers, and hope it all works out. When problems surface, they scramble to fix things, but by then, it’s too late. “Ninety-two percent of executives I speak to don’t think about retention until people start quitting or problems start,” Perman notes. Smart companies think about retention before they even post the job. They look for people who truly want to be there long-term, not just anyone who can fill a seat. Then they give those people real reasons to stay. “Give them ownership, purpose, and growth,” he advises. It’s not rocket science, but most companies still miss it.
Bad hires don’t just waste money. They disrupt everything around them. Good employees get frustrated and start looking elsewhere. Projects slow down. Clients notice. “The cost of a bad hire isn’t just financial, it’s cultural,” Perman explains. But when you get it right? That’s when things get interesting. The right hires elevate everyone around them. They bring fresh ideas, solve problems faster, and make work more enjoyable. “The ROI on the right hire is revenue growth, faster innovation, and stronger teams,” he says.
Perman isn’t just pointing out what’s broken, he’s fixing it. His approach at PermanTech removes the guesswork that sabotages most hiring decisions. “Hiring the right talent is hard, but keeping the right talent—that’s even harder these days,” he admits. The solution starts with clarity: understanding not just the technical skills required, but the type of person who will thrive in your environment. From there, you build a process that attracts those people instead of hoping they’ll appear. Companies that get this right stop losing great talent to competitors. They build teams that want to stay and work together and save a fortune on recruitment because retention takes care of itself.
Connect with Gary Perman on LinkedIn to see how your hiring process can become your growth advantage.
