Hiring should not be treated as an impulse purchase. You have probably experienced this scenario before. You meet a candidate who fits all of the qualifications and gives all of the right answers. This person may even remind you of yourself when you were starting out in your career. You make a hiring decision on the spot and it doesn’t take long once the employee has started working to realize you may have made a mistake. If you treat hiring like an investment and comparison shop your employees you may find that your success rate increases over time. Here are some tips to improve your hiring process.
- Consistent interviews create benchmarks. By asking a series of questions to each candidate you will have a way to compare and contrast answers. Go beyond their resume and ask behavioral questions that will help you determine how they will react in real situations. Talk to them about how they were responsible for saving money or improving a process. Once the interviews are complete go back through the answers and evaluate them based on your needs and company culture.
- Pre-employment screening. Drug testing and background checking can be an important part of your hiring process. By requiring this screening you can determine individuals who are responsible and match your company’s core values. Before you begin, determine what guidelines you are looking for and establish the acceptable results. Be sure to pre-screen each applicant who is in consideration. To reduce your costs, you can partner with a local staffing service that can provide this screening as part of their vetting procedures.
- Check their references. It can be frustrating to call for a reference only to be told that the company will verify dates of employment and nothing more. Work with the candidate to get contact information for former co-workers and managers who are not bound by these corporate rules. Drill down to gain some insight on who the employee really is and how they will fit your organization. A staffing provider can manage this service as well.
- Your responsibility doesn’t end after they’ve been hired. Some employees cite a lack of training and career support as a reason why they fail in their positions. When someone comes onboard with your company spend some time discovering their learning style. Work with them to ensure that they are successful in their new role. Excellent training can allow for competent employees to feel confident managing their own progress.
Are you interested in more interviewing advice from professional recruiters? Contact NRI Staffing today to learn more about our services.
