Personnel(ly) Speaking
Personnel Management
Systems, Inc.
Hiring the best employees: don’t leave it up to chance
You know you need to hire, but do you have your ducks in a row? Hiring a new employee can be a time consuming and stressful process. Our hiring tips will make the process more efficient and improve your success rate.
Before jumping in to the
hiring process, clarify the qualities and skills that are ideal for the
position. If you take the time to do
this at the beginning of the process, you can then tailor your process, your
sourcing, and your questions to elicit the information you need and attract
qualified candidates. How?
“Ok, I know what I need and have gone through a
stack of resumes, now what do I do?”
A half-hour phone call can save hours of your time.[2] Pre-screening applicants before an actual interview is a must for recruiting and hiring the best employees. Without the time commitment required by an in-person interview, you can discover whether the candidate has the knowledge and experience you have identified and is in your price range. Also, you can gain a sense about the person's fit within your company culture.
If you are phone screening a good candidate, take the time to prepare the candidate for the actual interview. Encourage the applicant to research the company. Describe the details of the position, the background and titles of the interviewers, and other pertinent information that will eliminate time wasting while the candidate interviews within your company. Send an application form to the candidate to complete ahead of time and bring to the interview. Ask the candidate to also bring a list of professional or employment references. If you are working with a recruiter, provide him or her any extra information that you would like passed along to the candidate.
“Now that I’ve prepped the candidate I’m ready to meet him and make a
decision on the spot!” (Not quite)
Do not rely on the interview alone to evaluate a candidate. Remember that during an interview, candidates tell you what they think you want to hear because they want to get the job. Successful hiring managers develop several methods for evaluating candidates in addition to the interview.
According to the Chally Group,[3] a Human Resources consulting firm “The typical interview increases the likelihood of choosing the best candidate by less than 2%. In other words, if you just ‘flipped’ a coin you would be correct 50% of the time. If you added an interview you would only be right 52% of the time.” The interview is only one component to a successful hire.
Many companies now include pre-employment testing to evaluate candidates. These tests can help determine the candidate’s proficiency with workplace skills, such as office software, customer service, writing, and communication. Make sure you follow the legal guidelines: companies can find themselves in hot water if they do not comply with the laws and regulations set forth by the courts and the EEOC.
“So what’s the key to a FANTASTIC
interview?”
Having a cohesive workplace is important and any employee must contribute positively to your work culture. People tend to hire employees who are similar to themselves. However, it is easy to be steamrolled by applicants with vivacious personalities. Recruit the strongest, smartest, best candidates you can find. Remember the importance of experience and skills.
The key to a successful interview is to come away with a balanced picture of the person. One of the best evaluation tools is to ask situational questions about past work experiences. The responses will indicate how the potential employee might handle similar situations in your business. Clear, direct questions such as these can elicit insightful information:
Remember past behavior is one of the best predictors of future behavior.
How do you distinguish one candidate from another? Everyone has a "wish list" for all of the qualities, skills, personality factors, work experience and interests you want to see in your selected employee. You must decide on, and perhaps, even test, the skills you most desire the most.
Determine the three or four most critical factors for contribution and success given the job, the skills of the other employees, and the needs of your customers. Once you have identified these key components, you cannot "settle" on a candidate who does not bring these attributes to your workplace.
Following these guidelines will bring a more thoughtful, organized approach to hiring, translating into finding more desirable potential employees. For specific advice and other ideas regarding recruitment, interviewing issues, and hiring in general call Personnel Management Systems, Inc.
Personnel(ly) Speaking is a monthly comment on HR
issues of importance. It is intended to
provide general information and must not be construed as legal advice. Reproductions are allowed as long as credit
for this information is given to PMSI.
We welcome your comments, questions, and concerns. © PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, INC.,
Corporate Office (425) 576-1900, Colorado Office (720) 497-0200, www.hrpmsi.com.
[1] Dice.com, “Absence of Salary Information Negatively
Impacts Job Posting Performance” <http://marketing.dice.com/diceinsider/diceinsider.html>
[2] Susan M. Heathfield, “Eight Hiring Mistakes Employers Make: From Application to Interview” January 2006
[3] Chally Group, “The Most Common Hiring Mistakes and How to Prevent Them” <http://www.chally.com/9_hiring_mistakes.htm>