Make Smart Hiring Decisions – Utilize These Best Practices
Breaking News! Hiring the right people for your organization can be considered the most critical aspect of your job as a manager. OK, so maybe that’s not breaking news, and maybe there are numerous other tasks that are equally important to which you are accountable. But spending time on the hiring process to ensure great people come on board is one of those items that should be treated like a long-term investment. If you put in the time now you will reap the benefits in the future.
Yet it’s exactly those other responsibilities that hinder a manager’s ability to focus their efforts on the hiring process. Motivating for results, training, coaching the team, meeting with customers, filing reports and forecasting upcoming productivity cycles rest squarely on the shoulders of the manager. So, it is relatively easy to see why hiring additions or replacements to the team can take a secondary role.
If you make the effort to implement the following best practices when engaging in the hiring process, you will find the assignment to be easier. These items will assist you in making smart hiring decisions, and will free up time for you to work on all those other managerial responsibilities.
· Have a Large Enough Pool of Candidates to Interview. What constitutes a large enough pool of candidates? While only you can determine the short list from which to choose, limiting yourself to a small selection of resumes at the start of the hiring process is an injustice to yourself and your company. You need a large enough selection to compare candidates and provide yourself with options in case your first-choice candidate accepts another offer.
· Phone Screen to Narrow the Field. Getting a feel for the candidate over the phone can provide valuable information and save time for both sides of the equation. This call provides an opportunity to fact check the candidate’s interest, their resume, and address any potential gaps or shortcomings. Qualifying the prospect will also provide potential follow up questions for the next phase of the interview process.
· Prepare for the Interview. This is not the time to wing it. Take the time to gather the candidate’s resume, your prepared questions, determine how you will take notes, and have the job description readily available. If you are doing a video interview, make sure the tech is working properly at least 15 minutes prior to the interview. If face to face, make sure the interview room presents a professional impression for your guest.
· Be Consistent in Your Questioning. Asking each candidate the same questions may be a bit tedious for you, but will prove immensely important when comparing responses later. Remember these questions are fresh to the candidate so you will be hearing their unique answers for the first time. You should have key words or situations tagged in your mind which determine exactly what you are looking for in the candidate’s answer.
· Allow Enough Time for the Interview. If you think you can get it done to both yours and the candidate’s satisfaction in 30 – 60 minutes by all means do so. Yet certainly do not rush the interview. That age-old rule of being able to determine in the first five minutes of an interview if this is your next hire just doesn’t cut it anymore. Give people an opportunity to overcome the initial nervousness, help them relax with casual conversation, and give the candidate the full time they deserve. You may see them in a different manner at the end of the interview compared to how they initially came across in the opening five minutes.
· Get Your Colleagues Involved. Depending on the position itself it may be best served to include a co-manager in the interview or have another manager interview the candidate one on one. Having a second set of eyes provides backup to or differentiation from your opinion on the candidate and can certainly influence the hiring decision. This is especially important for candidates who will interact with various managers in your organization. Their say so can be critical to the effectiveness of the overall team.
· If Possible, Get a Second Impression. Many hiring decisions are made with a single interview depending on the complexity of the job, however for advanced positions a second or even third interview may be required. This process allows you to verify information heard from the first interview and clarify potential items for which you may not be totally satisfied. It also provides the candidate an opportunity to verify their interest in the position and ask questions they may have not offered during the first session.
· Get Your Technology Skill Set Up to Expectations. There is no hiding from social media or the requirement to be technologically in tune with your candidate’s expectations. This could be the breaking point between whether or not your candidate chooses you or your competition in some cases. Get comfortable with the tech and ensure your candidate is on board as well. If you have the option, the interview facility tour provides a great opportunity to showcase your company’s tech savvy environment.
· Allow Enough Time to Answer Candidate Questions. A serious candidate will come prepared to the interview with questions regarding the company, the job itself, and perhaps even about you. Be sure to ask the candidate if they have any questions they would like you to address. The scope and quality of their questions will certainly provide an indication of their depth of knowledge of your organization and their sincere interest in the job. A candidate who doesn’t have any prepared questions is a definite red flag.
· Do a Background Check and Talk to References. Again, depending on the complexity and responsibility of the job for which you are hiring a background check may be a requirement. This step can prove valuable to verify employment, salary, education, and address any potential resume gaps. It may also contradict the information provided by the candidate. Talking to a reference may seem like a waste of time if you are of the opinion that no one is going to provide a poor reference, yet it is another opportunity to fact check and verify. Take the time to do your homework.
And finally and perhaps most importantly, Don’t pre-judge or assume an outcome. There will be times when after reviewing a resume and doing a phone screen that you will automatically choose a number one candidate, only to find later on, that person falls short of anticipated expectations. That’s ok. Your job is to find the best candidate for your company and your team, not help someone find a job. You may find yourself in a position whereby you want to coach your candidate to the finish line. Be careful in this regard because if they can’t meet your expectations on their own, you are the one who will bear the burden of their shortcomings later.
I hope you find these brief bullet point best practices to your benefit. For more information visit my website at tedkaye55.wixsite.com/21lessonslearned or contact me directly via LinkedIn.
Best wishes in your hiring endeavors.
Ted