Five Effective Hiring Strategies

Hiring the right new employees is essential. A decision to hire should not be taken lightly, as the outcome can have a huge impact on the organization in either direction.

The bad news is that the risk of a bad hire is always there, just like the risk of a bad investment. But the good news is that there is a way to minimize the risk.

Wouldn’t you do your due diligence before investing $20-100,000? I know I would.

But many employers limit themselves to just a few interviews and a background check, and that’s simply not enough (you can find helpful hiring tools at ( www.canadahrcentre.com).  

Most organizations have well-considered processes when it comes to various aspects of their business, but no unified process when it comes to hiring. The process must be structured, yet leave flexibility for the individual or group to make the most of their own personal styles and strengths.

If you’re concerned about success in hiring decisions, I’d like to share what I’ve learned working with clients and an employer who has done plenty of hiring.   

 

Here are the Five Effective Hiring Strategies:

 

1. Define the job

Create a list with a detailed job description, what you expect from the potential employee, and what a successful person might do in this position. Think about the actual job, not the person currently in the job or the one who was most recently doing the work.

 

2. Define your ideal candidate

Separate what you’re looking for in a new person into three categories: skills, experience, and behavior.  Each will vary from job to job, and each can be tested. Implement “talent measurement systems” such as Skills Testing and Behavioral Assessment to precisely determine a candidate’s suitability. If you can measure it, you can manage it.

 

3. Standardize the interview format  

Most of your interview questions should be in place, and with the help of your testing tools – skills testing and assessments – you will have important interview questions specifically for that candidate.  By following a structured procedure, you give your hiring managers the opportunity to successfully compare applicant interviews, maximizing productivity of the screening and minimizing “social” time. 

 

4. Introduce your team

Always, introduce potential candidates to the rest of your team.  The goal is to enhance the team, and this process has the combined effect of having more people assess the new candidate along with increasing the engagement of current employees in the process.

 

5. Treat potential candidates with respect

Don’t make the interview an interrogation. Make folks feel welcome and comfortable. Let the candidate be himself or herself, as he or she is already stressed watching you scan a resume.  Remember that your best employee could be unimpressive during an interview because he or she has worked at one place for a very long time, while someone with excellent interview skills could turn out to be a bad hire.

Consider that when people feel comfortable they tend to reveal more than when they are stressed – and if you think leaving a great impression on potential employees is important, you can achieve that goal.