Hiring Right the First Time
28. December 2009 by Susan Kempton-Smith.
How do you know for sure that you’ve made the right hiring decision? You don’t, or at least you can’t be absolutely sure until the new hire has passed the test of time. What you can do is take some practical steps to reduce your risk of hiring the wrong person.
Step 1 - Without a road map you’ll be flying blind, so make sure that before you begin your search for the perfect employee, you develop a job description that truly encompasses necessary hard and soft skills.
Step 2 - Eliminate the candidates whose resumes suggest a less than perfect fit.
- Does the candidate’s job history indicate stability, or someone who changes positions frequently?
- If a college degree is required, does the candidate possess a degree that’s job related?
- If relocation expenses are not reimbursed, then it’s best to focus on local candidates.
- If the candidate’s residence is far away, will the long commute be an issue?
- If the candidate lists himself as the CEO, owner, or president of a company, this could indicate that he has a small business on the side, which could present a conflict of interest for someone who may not be able to commit himself to the job.
Step 3 - Screen the candidates for hard skills. You can determine the qualification potential of applicants by devising questions that can be administered over the phone, saving both of you time and money. For example, if a job requires specific computer skills, you can ask software-specific questions to help determine their skill level.
Step 4 – Have the applicant fill out an application and have them email or fax it to you prior to the face-to-face interview. This process helps to answer several questions. When driving is a job requirement, then a space for driving history should be included on the application. This can reveal DUIs or excessive speeding tickets, which would be probable reasons for elimination.
- If more than a few days lapse before the application is returned, then I would question how serious the candidate is about the job.
- Did the candidate pay attention to detail?
- Was the application complete?
- A section for the salary required by the candidate can help to eliminate candidates with an asking price that is out of range.
- Does the job history match the resume?
Step 5 – The face-to-face interview. This is the time to get to know the applicant.
- Were they punctual?
- Were they dressed appropriately?
- Were they confident without appearing cocky?
- Listen to your gut and don’t ignore the signs.
- Why are they interested in the position?
- Why do they want to work for your company? Did they do their homework and at least look up your company’s website?
- Get them to relax by initiating casual conversation. You’ll be surprised as to the insight you can gain into a potential hire by talking about recent events, vacations, favorite restaurants, books, and movies.
Step 6 – Picture them in your environment.
- Are they a team player, or do they need to work independently?
- Are they a self starter, and if not, how much training will be available?
- Keep the following in mind during the hiring process.
- Don’t be too hasty to hire. Your need to fill a position should not outweigh your need to hire the right person. It’s much easier to hire right the first time than to manage or possibly fire the wrong individual.
- A positive employee is a great marketing tool; however, a negative employee can have an equally or worse impact on your business and your bottom line.
- Can you see the potential hire becoming friends with other employees? Having a buddy at work can make all the difference when it comes to motivation.
- Will they mesh with their immediate supervisor? If you pair someone who seeks constant recognition with a manager who doesn’t adhere to that philosophy, don’t expect to get the very best from that new hire for long.
- If they’ll be working on a team, are they extroverts?
- Don’t sugarcoat the position or your expectations. It is better that they know exactly what they’re getting into than feel as if they were lied to during the interview process.
Finally, remember that skills can be taught. Personalities can’t. You can only expand what’s already there. It’s impossible to build on something that doesn’t exist.