Hiring Right – Right Now!
In tough economic times, your company’s survival depends on having the right team, hiring top performers, having high productivity and retaining the best employees. Now is not the time to make a costly hiring mistake. A recent study by The Recruiting Roundtable found that 50% of organizations regret their hiring decisions. A Harvard University study reported that 80% of turnover is due to hiring mistakes. To hire the right employee for your company, there are several things you should do:
Determine your needs. Take the time to write out a formal job description detailing in order of importance what the person will need to do and what skills/qualifications the person will need to have to be successful.
Get the word out. Make the announcement of your opening using various outlets such as your company’s web site, print media, online job boards and internal employee referrals. You may want to simplify the entire process by hiring an outsourced firm or a local employment professional.
Screen the applicants. Now it’s time to narrow the field to 10. Hopefully you received a strong pool of resumes from many sources. Take your time and carefully screen resumes from your job description list. Look for projects, accomplishments and skills that may be transferable.
Schedule the interview. Contact your top 10 candidates and schedule a phone interview. A phone screen will save you time and will reduce your overall cost of the hiring process. Rank your top 5 candidates and schedule face to face interviews.
Ask open-ended questions. Have a list of pre-determined questions for all of your applicants. Start by briefly reviewing their work history. Utilize questions that require candidates to provide detailed information about successful projects and accomplishments. You are looking for a track record of performance. Stick to your questions and make sure you don’t do all the talking. My favorite question is, “Tell me about your biggest accomplishment in your work career”.
Follow up. You should now narrow the field to 3 finalists that you could see yourself hiring. Now is the time to check references and criminal backgrounds. Not doing this step can be very costly. You should consult an HR professional to get advice on proper procedures for doing background checks. Checking references may do more than verify facts – it can provide insight into prior performance as well.
In today’s economy, it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re hiring the right person for the job. Hiring the right person the first time can save lots of time, money and hassle down the road.
This article originally appeared in Business Exchange April 2009
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