Find Good People

Karen Kocher Anderson knows how to find good people. Industry peers in Florida recently named Anderson, the human resources director for Shell Point Retirement Community in Fort Myers, as the best human resource professional of 2011.

The Detroit native oversees a five-person department that cares for 900 employees at Shell Point, a retirement community of about 2,300 residents. Business owners and entrepreneurs might consider her advice for finding qualified employees.

Why it's still hard to find good people: “With unemployment so high, you'd think there would be great candidates,” Anderson says. But mortgage brokers, real estate agents and bankers who once were accustomed to six-figure incomes aren't likely good candidates for housekeeping jobs many are applying for today. “They're not used to manual work. Their heart's not in it. They're going to leave at the first opportunity.”